Miami Marlins: Free Agent Offer to Albert Pujols Sends Right Message to Fans

The Miami Marlins offered free-agent first baseman Albert Pujols a contract on Friday in a move that shows their fans that the franchise is serious about winning.

With a new stadium for next season, the team will be able to create more revenue than ever, and it seems like they will use that money to build a better ball club.

“We’ve never been penny-pinchers,” owner Jeffrey Loria said via the Washington Post. “We just haven’t had the ability to do it in the old stadium. Now we’re looking forward to a new era.”

Pujols' offer comes shortly after other top free agents Jose Reyes and Mark Buehrle were offered contracts from the Marlins.

Many baseball people have said for years that if the Marlins just spent money, then they would be yearly playoff contenders.

They already have some good young players such as shortstop Hanley Ramirez and pitcher Josh Johnson, but the team hasn't added big-name free agents that would make the club a top-tier team.

Marlins fans are used to seeing their club get rid of many of its stars after every successful runs, as the team got rid of several stars during the offseasons following the franchise's 1997 and 2003 World Series titles.

The Marlins usually struggle to fill the stands but with a new stadium, the team is expecting about 30,000 people to show up for games next season.

The team's payroll was $57 million last season, which was in the bottom half of MLB payrolls. The club could easily raise that payroll to about $75-85 million for 2012.

The city of Miami loves its sports, and with the Miami Heat of the NBA creating a new sports buzz on South Beach, it seems like the Marlins want some of that spotlight.

“Miami is a magnet—the city, the manager, the new ballpark, the players we have,” Loria said. “We have a terrific core here. All of it put together is the magnet.”

The Marlins have a great new manager in Ozzie Guillen, a new ballpark, a great city and a large checkbook.

The team is committed to winning and getting back to the World Series, and this is not only good for Marlins fans, it's good for all of baseball.

Nicholas Goss is a Featured Columnist at Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter for the latest sports news and updates. Follow @NicholasGoss35