1) It was not just the Stanton Contract......Marlins were so screwed by Loria who got involved with W-Chen Contract who is still owed $10, $20 and $22 Million over the next 3 years. And the Prado Contract who is owed $13.5 and $15 million over the next 2 years. Along with the $29 million owed next year for Volquez, Ziegler and Tazawa that is $52.5 in 2018 and $35 million in 2019 wasted for minimal/easily cheaply replaced production. For this team those are all albatrosses and you can argue that Loria who always knew he was selling after the All Star game did that on purpose to ***** the team and fans.
2) Baseball has done nothing but continually shot itself in the foot down here since its inception.
Marlins drew $3+ million for the inaugural season in 1993....Was still averaging almost 33k a game in 1994...
-Then baseball went on strike/lockout and there was no World Series (people forget how much that hurt attendance for the entire sport for a long time)
-1997 comes, Huizenga buys a world series through Free Agents.....Then immediately sells off team. Giving fans no chance to enjoy the team.
-1999 MLB throws a Temper Tantrum and pulls the All Star game from South Florida, because tax payers refuse to build them a new stadium
-2003 a magical season, from 10 under to WS champions out of nowhere....Then in 2004 sell off begins. Pudge and D.Lee gone
Baseball has made any commitment to actually building any sustained goodwill in the community.
3) Tired of the BS Miami is not a sports town argument. Pittsburgh is considered one of the great sports towns. Look at Pirates attendance after Bonds walked in 1994 on for the next 20 years. Not very different. Very few teams with sustained crap (like the Marlins 3 good years in 24 year history) draw well.
Links to
Pirates Attendance
https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/PIT/attend.shtml