Former Marlins President Defends Marlins' Handling of Max Meyer
The Miami Marlins drew the ire of fans around the league when they decided to option rookie Max Meyer after his hot start to the season.
It has become a game of manipulating his Major League Baseball service time in order to help with his arbitration.
The contract manipulation hasn't been popular with many, but one former Marlins exec has come out to support the decision.
Ex-president of the organization David Samson had this to say about the situation, as reported by Isaac Azout:
“What Bruce Sherman and Peter Bendix are doing, albeit it’s not popular, this is the way to maximize your chance to win with Max Meyer before he hits arbitration and before he hits free agency."
It is not surprising to see an executive side with the decision that makes the most immediate financial sense, but money isn't the reason that this decision isn't liked.
Not only does it show disrespect to a player performing at a high level, but also keeps the fans from watching a potential star at least once a week.
It is really simple: Meyer has earned the right to be up in the major leagues full time. It sends the wrong message to players that good performance is not rewarded in the right way in the organization.
The 25-year-old has a 2.12 earned run average in three appearances this season, including a performance that held the Atlanta Braves -- possibly the best offense in baseball -- to just one run over six innings.
Senior Writer Also: Contributing Writer for Braves Today and recent graduate of the LSU Manship School of Mass Communication! You can reach him on X: @DillySanders