July 6

The alternative is that the Florida Marlins go the way of Eastern Airlines or the Cleveland Barons. Luis Castillo slashed his way into the baseball consciousness, the Marlins hung around until the Braves downshifted and pitchers like A.J. Burnett and Josh Beckett keep you watching in hopes of seeing something spectacular.

The bad news, of course, is that the Marlins are barely drawing 10,500 customers a night, about 2,000 more than owner Jeffrey Loria's former team in Montreal. Loria's stepson, club president David Samson, estimates that they will lose $20 million this season. But Samson quickly adds "things are going very well off the field. We are out working on selling for next season, and we are encouraged. Remember, we had no sales period. People didn't know if there would be a franchise in South Florida for awhile. We didn't get the team until Feb. 16, and there were 300 season tickets sold. We got to 4,000, which isn't bad under the circumstances, but it will be much better next season because we have had time to sell."

	Cliff Floyd, center, is the most sought-after Marlin, but Preston Wilson and Derrek Lee could be trade bait as well.

In Samson's view, the most important ingredient in selling South Florida on this ownership "is convincing them that we're not going to be contracted and we're not going to move the team. We're not a candidate for contraction and we're not moving the Marlins, but people here are skeptical, and Jeffrey and I do not blame them. We've spent a great deal of time with business, community, political and economic leaders because that's what we have to do, and we know that the proof is going to come in nine months when there is an Opening Day with the Florida Marlins, then 12 months after that when there's another Opening Day in 2004. This is a five-year process of building trust that we're here to stay."

Compounding the Marlins' problems this season has been the rain.

"Lifelong residents of the area tell me this is the worst they can ever remember," says Samson. "It hurts the team, because we seldom get to take batting practice outside, and players cannot establish any routine. It obviously hurts the business. We had a small ticket base to begin with, but if there is any sign of rain -- and there has been a sign of rain almost every day -- it kills the walkups. We have an employee who's been with the team for 10 years who can calculate what the walkup would have been every day and keeps a running tally; it's well over 100,000 in lost walkup ticket sales thus far. In fact, we thought about having a promotion where we gave away personal flotation devices."

The weather is part of the part of the problem with Pro Player Stadium, but while Samson admits working with local financial and political leaders on a solution, he says, "We want to stay under the radar. We're not going to publicize what we're doing because it only leads to opposition building to undermine what we're doing. That's happened in the past, so we're going to work and keep it quiet."

So Loria and Samson are encouraged about building attendance over five years by convincing fans that they are staying and committed to South Florida. So how does that translate on the personnel side?

"Everyone says we have a young team," says Samson. "We have a mature team. It's not a young team. We have a mature team at $40 million this season ($42.4 million payroll, one of the lowest in baseball). Next year if we hold this team together it's going to be $65 million to $70 million, and that's not going to happen. What that means is that we're a mature team -- not physically, but financially. You can't have contracts outperforming players; you have to have players outperforming contracts.

"I met a very wise man in the business community here who told me, 'It's time to drain the tub and refill it with your own bathwater.' That makes a lot of sense."

So do not be surprised if between now and the July 31 trading deadline the Marlins are one of the most active teams, swapping contracts for prospects and clearing payroll for the rebuilding. "We have already signed our No. 1 pick (outfielder Jeremy Hermida) and will not stop bringing talent into the organization," says Samson. "But while I'm not saying we're definitely trading Cliff Floyd, it has been said that if we trade Floyd, it will be the end of the Marlins in South Florida. Not so. The end of the Marlins in South Florida would come if we were contracted or moved, and that's not happening. What is happening is that we're building this franchise."

Floyd is a virtual certainty to be traded. In fact, the Marlins and Expos have the foundation of a deal in place that would send Floyd and Ryan Dempster to Montreal. The deal is not yet done, however, and needs baseball's approval to be official. Floyd makes $6.5 million this season while Dempster makes $2.475 million.

General manager Larry Beinfest is talking to clubs and several have come in to look at pitcher Brad Penny as well, who is also very much available; Penny makes only $377,500 but is arbitration eligible. They would love to unload Charles Johnson's contract ($5M, $7M, $9M, $9M), but that is unlikely. Ditto Preston Wilson ($3.5M, $6.5M, $9M, $12M). Julian Tavarez ($2.725M and a free agent) and Eric Owens ($2M) are available.

Understand that the Marlins have $20.5 million tied up next year in six players, including the Johnson and Wilson contracts. Burnett, Penny, Dempster, Castillo ($3.325M), Derrek Lee ($2.7M), Kevin Millar ($900,000), Vladimir Nunez ($360,000) and Owens are all arbitration eligible. That's how Samson gets from $42 million to $65 million to $70 million, and if it's not going to happen, then it might as well not happen right now to let the protests die by the time season tickets for 2003 are printed.

The Giants, Mets, Red Sox, Braves and several other teams have also inquired on Floyd, who has a no-trade clause to San Francisco but would likely waive it. Others have asked about Dempster, and between the Rangers, Reds, Mariners and others, there might be a run on Penny, who has expressed unhappiness with the situation and with what he felt were whispers that he really wasn't hurt (when, in fact, it's his arbitration year).

So watch. There are a lot of sellers out there, in Kansas City, Detroit, Tampa Bay, Texas, Cleveland, Colorado, Milwaukee, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh ...

But there might not be any bigger seller than the Florida Marlins. "We cannot lose sight of where we envision the Marlins to be five years from now," says Samson. "That's right here in South Florida."

With a tub filled with their own bathwater.