WASHINGTON, November 14, 2011 — A new name rarely brings wonders to a sports team. But Jeffrey Loria, owner of the Miami Marlins, disagrees. Loria, long-regarded as one of baseball’s stingier owners, is claiming that the combination of his team’s new ballpark, scheduled to open for the 2012 season, and the change of name that is coming along with it, will suddenly create the monetary capacity to throw money at the likes of free agents Albert Pujols and Jose Reyes, to whom the Marlins reportedly made offers.

"We've never been penny-pinchers," Loria said. "We just haven't had the ability to do it in the old stadium. Now we're looking forward to a new era."

Perhaps Loria is right. For almost its entire existence, the Marlins franchise has been at or near the bottom in total attendance. Despite Sun Life Stadium’s 40,000 plus capacity in a baseball configuration, attendance has lagged due to the stadium’s distance from downtown Miami and the hot and humid summer nights. With a planned seating capacity of 37,000, the cutting-edge Miami Ballpark could conceivably double attendance revenues. While the Marlins limped to a total attendance of 1,520,562 in 2011, good enough for last in the National League, the new Marlins Ballpark could lure up to a total figure of 2,997,000, should all 81 home games sell out. And there are plenty of signs that it could. First, like almost every new stadium in baseball, Marlins Ballpark, which is built on the site where the Orange Bowl once stood, will sport a retractable roof, banishing the stifling warmth. Second, the stadium will be located just two miles from downtown Miami, as opposed to the 14 that fans formerly had to travel to get from downtown to a Marlins game. 

This increase in revenue alone isn’t going to come anywhere near the amount of money that would be needed to pull off a cash-fueled overhaul. But if Loria is willing to truly capitalize on the excitement factor and put up some serious cash to remake the Marlins, using the boost in revenue and much more to lure some pricey free agents, how much of an improvement can be expected for the 2012 season? 

The 2011 Marlins stumbled to a 72-90 record and a last-place finish in the NL East. From that starting lineup, seven players return: catcher John Buck, first baseman Gaby Sanchez, shortstop Hanley Ramirez, third baseman Emilio Bonifacio, left fielder Logan Morrison, center fielder Chris Coghlan, and right fielder Mike Stanton. Of these seven, Ramirez, Stanton, and Sanchez are key components of the team’s future, locking them into three key positions. Buck will almost certainly return as well, due both to hopes that he’ll rebound, and the state of his contract. That locks four positions in. 

Morrison should be retained as well, but his tenuous relationship with management could make him trade bait. For the sake of this exercise, let’s assume that Morrison stays, as he should, based solely on his production. Heading to the free agent market, both Reyes and Pujols are probably foregone conclusions, the former because Miami already has just as good a shortstop in Ramirez, and the latter because the Marlins will surely be outbid. There are better places to use that money, like at third base, where Miami would be well-served by going after either Aramis Ramirez or Wilson Betemit. The same is true for center field, where both Grady Sizemore and David DeJesus will be looking at low-cost deals thanks to injuries and a down year, respectively.

Let’s say the Marlins are able to pull off one of two fairly equally expensive combos: either Ramirez and DeJesus, or Sizemore and Betemit. Then second base comes into play. With a new third baseman and the market for second baseman thin, the best move would be to keep Bonifacio, but shift him to second. Then moving onto pitching, the Marlins should try to hang onto Javier Vazquez, but must turn to the market for one final starter. They reportedly have their eyes on Mark Buerhle, while Jon Garland and Paul Maholm will likely command similar price tags. As a whole, the bullpen needs little adjustment.

How much would all this cost? This model has the Marlins signing three players: Betemit, Sizemore, and Maholm. Betemit is deserving of a two-year, $18 million type deal. Maholm will be looking for something along the lines of three-years, $30 million, with a mutual option for a fourth year. Sizemore is the confusing part of the plan, but something like four years, $50 million seems reasonable enough. With this, payroll would increase by $31.5 million per year.

Can a new-look Marlins team compete in the NL East? Even against the Phillies and Braves? Can they climb back past respectability? Yes, they can. If Loria is serious about putting a winning team onto a winning field in a new stadium, he’ll shell out for improvements. The only question left is this: is he willing to go all in now when excitement is highest, or will he wait for a physical cash flow before taking spending up out of the doldrums, rather than running with projections?