Brandon Brown
With yet another fire sale underway, Miami Marlins fans are not happy, and some protested the organization outside LoanDepot Park before Friday’s game against the Philadelphia Phillies (PHI 8, MIA 2). Fans had signs begging owner Bruce Sherman to sell the team, among other things. The Marlins traded defending batting champion Luis Arraez to the San Diego Padres last week.
Here is the small crowd of protesters:
Pour some salt on the wound, Arraez homered in his first home game with the Padres on Friday. Here’s the Associated Press with more information on Friday’s protest:
The small demonstration of a maximum of 10 people was organized to convey fans’ discontent with the direction of the franchise. There were posters and posters, including one demanding that owner Bruce Sherman sell the team.
“There are only a few of us here, but the majority of fans are disgusted,” said Luis De Armas, a decades-old Marlins fan and organizer of Friday’s protest. “We want to keep watching games, but not when this continues to be a losing club. All because of an owner who promised us one thing and did another.”
The Marlins qualified for the postseason last year, albeit as a team with 84 wins and an unrepeatable 33-14 record in one-run games. It was the first postseason berth since 2020 and the first in a 162-game season since the 2003 World Series year.
After the season, GM Kim Ng left the organization because of a power struggle, and POBO Peter Bendix was hired from the Tampa Bay Rays to manage the front office. The Marlins were inactive over the winter — Tim Anderson was the major league’s only free agent signing — and the Arraez trade signaled the start of yet another rebuild.
“That’s part of the calculation. It’s part of the player’s value for the rest of the season, when unfortunately our record is what it is, and the fact is we’re unlikely to make the playoffs this year,” Bendix said after the Arraez trade (via Miami Herald). “Trading this for future value seems like the right thing for this organization at this time.”
Bendix indicated that more negotiations are on the way. Miami’s top remaining trade chips are first baseman/DH Josh Bell, center fielder Jazz Chisholm Jr., lefty Jesús Luzardo (currently on the injured list) and closer Tanner Scott. Ace Sandy Alcantara will miss 2024 while recovering from Tommy John surgery, but don’t be surprised if teams ask about him.
Friday’s loss leaves the Marlins with a 10-30 record on the season. This matches the 2019 team with the franchise’s worst record through 40 games. To be fair, the Marlins were hit hard by pitching injuries this year even though the roster was not at full health. More defeats are on the way, and understandably, fans are unhappy.
