Selig needs to step up to the plate

The Marlins are threatening to relocate. Try not to yawn.

Oh, the team's plight is real, as its latest fire sale--in progress on your friendly neighborhood transaction wire--shows. But everybody knows what it means when an owner like Jeffrey Loria issues a grave pronouncement such as, "No longer can baseball in South Florida be assured."

Loria wants a new ballpark. Immediately, if not sooner.

Terrific. Let's see Major League Baseball do something completely different: Reach into its owners' bulging pockets and help Loria finance the sucker.

Loria, who is willing to contribute $212 million, can't do this on his own, and the city and state shouldn't be asked to extend itself any further.

Commissioner Bud Selig, it's your turn.

Relocation isn't a serious option. And, no, the Marlins won't be contracted when, after next season, Major League Baseball gains the ability to eliminate teams without the players' consent.

Loria simply will strip down the Marlins, operate with a payroll in the $30 million range and reap the benefits of revenue sharing. He'll make money while losing games.

It isn't Loria's preferred way of doing business, but the stadium-financing issues in Las Vegas, Portland or any other city where the Marlins might relocate would be just as vexing as Miami's.

MLB can't abandon a city Loria calls "the gateway to the Americas" at a time when it's starting the World Baseball Classic and entering a new era of internationalization.

Contraction? It makes even less sense, given the sport's improved financial position.

The solution, as much as it might horrify Selig and Co., is for MLB to use its newfound economic might to help eliminate the funding gap for the proposed retractable-roof park in Miami, which is estimated to cost between $420 million and $435 million.

Government officials in the hurricane-ravaged state might become more flexible if MLB offered to make a significant contribution; some have even suggested the facility could serve as a hurricane shelter. The NFL routinely helps finance stadium projects, but heaven forbid MLB engage in such visionary activity when it might cut into owners' profits--and make no mistake, most are profiting.

The investment would not be without risk; the Marlins failed to sustain their fan base after winning the World Series in 1997 and 2003. Former owner H. Wayne Huizenga's fire sale after the '97 title created lasting ill will, and not even Loria's good-faith efforts have boosted attendance significantly.

The simple analysis is that fans in South Florida don't care, but the Marlins' strong TV ratings indicate otherwise. For the 632nd time, baseball fails markets; markets don't fail baseball. Fifteen years ago, Atlanta, Cleveland and Seattle were trouble spots for MLB, but new parks helped revive the teams in those cities. The Marlins need a new park, but they also must better cater to Hispanic fans and continue working to erase past scars.

Loria is trying. MLB, by paying its share for once, could help him succeed.

The solution isn't in Vegas or Portland or San Antonio or Buffalo.

The solution is in South Florida.

speed read

The Josh Beckett deal is not without risk for the Red Sox. Beckett frequently gets hurt and third baseman Mike Lowell might be finished offensively. But the real danger is the Sox falling into the trap of continually trading top prospects. The Yankees have learned that strategy doesn't work.

INSIDE DISH

Agent Scott Boras is seeking a seven-year contract for flee-agent CF Johnny Damon, but a rival agent says, "He'll be lucky to get 4x12," meaning a four-year, $48 million deal. The agent continues, "Damon is not better than (Hideki) Matsui--and Matsui took less (than Boras is proposing for Damon) to stay in New York." Matsui re-signed with the Yankees for four years and $52 million. Damon would be almost 39 at the end of a seven-year deal. > Some members of the Astros' organization are intrigued by the idea of signing free-agent C Mike Piazza if fellow free-agent C Brad Ausmus leaves for the Padres. More likely, the Astros would attempt to trade for someone such as the Reds' Jason LaRue or go with the offensively challenged tandem of Raul Chavez and Humberto quintero to fill a void behind the plate. The team will entertain offers for any of its relievers-including closer Brad Lidge--in its search for offense. > The Tigers never were serious players for RHP Josh Beckett, but they were one of the handful of clubs the Marlins approached about a Beckett-Mike Lowell package. The Marlins wanted CF Curtis Granderson and top pitching prospect RHP Justin Verlander. The Tigers also had interest in Marlins CF Juan Pierre, but the talks didn't progress. > The Devil Rays made a play for Lowell, offering to absorb his $18 million salary over two years if the Marlins also traded them OF Jeremy Hermida, a top prospect. > The Dodgers appear interested in adding high-priced talent, but is it all for show? The team's payroll could drop from $81 million to $70 million, according to a rival G.M. who has knowledge of the team's plans.