Bruce Sherman: Success means 'getting to the playoffs consistently'

[Isaac Azout]

JUPITER, FL—On a beautiful Monday morning in Jupiter, 72 Miami Marlins players (32 non-roster invitees) reported to camp ready to make their mark and build on a very encouraging 2025 season in which the club won 79 games—a 17-win improvement from the year before.

Principal owner and chairman Bruce Sherman, standing in front of the newly renovated Jupiter Academy, addressed the media prior to the team’s first full-squad workout. The 2026 season will be the ninth under Sherman’s ownership.

“Our expectations are to be extremely competitive and to continue on this path of being successful every single year,” Sherman said. “We measure it by getting to the playoffs consistently, and that will be the standard for our organization and our front office. That’s what the Miami Marlins are going to be all about.”

Ownership’s message to players early Monday morning differed from last spring, when patience and development were emphasized. As exciting as the 2025 season was for a team with limited big league experience and modest expectations, this year’s message was clear: it wasn’t enough, and expectations are higher following investments in both payroll and infrastructure.

“This investment we made in free agency—four players and over $20 million—was done with extraordinary care by Peter Bendix and his entire staff,” Sherman said.

For the first time since 2016–17, the Marlins signed at least four major league free agents in a single offseason. Despite those additions, Miami’s payroll for 2026, according to Roster Resource, is projected to be approximately $73 million, the lowest in Major League Baseball. Sherman feels that he's spending an appropriate percentage of the franchise's revenue, particularly when accounting for the aforementioned facility renovations.

“I’m not in this for profit at all. We haven’t taken a nickel out of this in eight years; we just keep putting money in, and ownership is pleased to do that. We want to win. W-I-N. Period.”

How do the Marlins plan to compete against division rivals such as the Phillies, Mets, and Braves, whose player payrolls are several times the size?

“We don’t care what other teams are doing—we’re trying to beat them,” president of baseball operations Peter Bendix said. 

That message was reiterated to both established major leaguers and top prospects expected to contribute this season.

“We were told to have faith in ourselves and in each other, and that we’re going to prove a lot of people wrong again,” No. 1 prospect Thomas White told Fish On First. “We’re not worried about what other teams are doing. We’re focused on what’s happening in our clubhouse and trying to do something none of us have done before—reach the playoffs.”

 

 

When asked about the overall goal for the upcoming season, manager Clayton McCullough emphasized development and culture.

“Seeing growth across the board from players and coaches,” McCullough said. “We want to create a culture here and a group that puts us in position every year to compete for a championship.”

The 34th season of Marlins baseball begins March 27 at home against the Colorado Rockies. Before that, the club opens Grapefruit League play this Saturday in Port St. Lucie against the Mets.

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[Miami Italiano]

What facility renovations were done in the last 3 years? And there's no way Sherman wasn't pocketing money previously with one of the lowest payrolls in baseball, and now the lowest in 2026.  Just tell the truth. They want moneyball like the Rays and A's did back in the day. I like moneyball when it works. I think the Marlins are on the right track with it.

[Jose Herrera]

I'm excited for all of this to play out.

[THOMAS JOSEPH]

The current ownership group borrowed hundreds of millions to wrap up their purchase of the team. Interest must be paid on loans. Stanton's backend $30m payments are now due. The pandemic season generated huge losses. Attendance and related income haven't surged. Now, despite the fanfare, TV money is not replaced. Yet, without any information whatsoever, the howls that Sherman and his group are actually taking profits out of team ludicrously continue like a mantra. Even the team valuation, which has nothing to do with cash or cash flow, is still lagging behind the purchase price. Don't like Sherman? Fine. I don't particularly like him, either. But the continuing absence of financial reality is boorish. Counting on the CBA to chance MLB's ecosystem? I sure hope so, but the cost of reality will likely be that there is no baseball in 2027. The players know this is a reckoning, there isn't a kicking the can down the road option. Hence the ouster of their ridiculously ineffective and short-sighted leader. So, enjoy and savor this season. 

[Jose Herrera]

@THOMAS JOSEPH How can a lockdown be prevented? 

 

[1993 fan from start]

2 hours ago, THOMAS JOSEPH said:

The current ownership group borrowed hundreds of millions to wrap up their purchase of the team. Interest must be paid on loans. Stanton's backend $30m payments are now due. The pandemic season generated huge losses. Attendance and related income haven't surged. Now, despite the fanfare, TV money is not replaced. Yet, without any information whatsoever, the howls that Sherman and his group are actually taking profits out of team ludicrously continue like a mantra. Even the team valuation, which has nothing to do with cash or cash flow, is still lagging behind the purchase price. Don't like Sherman? Fine. I don't particularly like him, either. But the continuing absence of financial reality is boorish. Counting on the CBA to chance MLB's ecosystem? I sure hope so, but the cost of reality will likely be that there is no baseball in 2027. The players know this is a reckoning, there isn't a kicking the can down the road option. Hence the ouster of their ridiculously ineffective and short-sighted leader. So, enjoy and savor this season. 

no baseball in 2027. The players know this is a reckoning,. that why  I don't like a lot of the one year deals Marlins are doing. with the bullpen and SP Crish P..  MLB CBA   is not going to change big time.  why mlb lets teams like Dodger spend over 400 M. . JUST TO SHOW MLBPA they are paying players.  I  could live with the current system. if the Differ money by big market teams are limted.  and  small market teams are limted on 1 year deals that without option .    Counting on the CBA to chance MLB's ecosystem? I sure hope

TV money is not replaced. i was saying same thing on reditt also.

[THOMAS JOSEPH]

On 2/18/2026 at 9:49 AM, Jose Herrera said:

@THOMAS JOSEPH How can a lockdown be prevented? 

 

I don't think anything can prevent it. The financial and associated on-field inequity is the bedrock issue of the sport. The players will do anything to protect an open-ended system, and the owners (at least half of the league that are low- to mid-revenue teams) cannot allow it any longer, especially with the drastic fall of the local TV money. Top-end players, representing the union's best-case scenarios, essentially lock out the majority of players, the rank-and-file for whom unions used to exist. Given the developmental challenges of baseball, the sport cannot replicate the NBA- or NFL-style program. Most baseball players need years of minor league seasoning, which is very expensive and often a crapshoot. The give-and-take has always been incremental, but now the gulf between the top eight or so teams and the rest of the league is so vast that there is no tweaking that will overcome it. It will require significant changes, and those types of changes are the fodder for a serious and long impasse. This will be quite painful for everyone associated with the sport. 

[THOMAS JOSEPH]

On 2/18/2026 at 10:14 AM, 1993 fan from start said:

no baseball in 2027. The players know this is a reckoning,. that why  I don't like a lot of the one year deals Marlins are doing. with the bullpen and SP Crish P..  MLB CBA   is not going to change big time.  why mlb lets teams like Dodger spend over 400 M. . JUST TO SHOW MLBPA they are paying players.  I  could live with the current system. if the Differ money by big market teams are limted.  and  small market teams are limted on 1 year deals that without option .    Counting on the CBA to chance MLB's ecosystem? I sure hope

TV money is not replaced. i was saying same thing on reditt also.

Yes, there are big differences that won't be settled until it hurts both sides badly.