Nightengale: Marlins brass fleeces fans

Bob Nightengale, USA TODAY Sports | USATODAY

The Miami Marlins pulled off the ultimate Ponzi scheme, getting South Florida taxpayers to pay for a new ballpark to watch a product that simply doesn't exist.

Bernie Madoff is spending the rest of his life in prison for his con job. Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria and President David Samson get to walk free, enjoying the fine artwork, fish tanks and swimming pools in their $634 million facility.

The Marlins, after a $190 million spending spree last winter to let their fans know they'll forever be contenders, abruptly traded virtually their entire team across the border.

They sent All-Star shortstop Jose Reyes, pitchers Mark Buehrle and Josh Johnson, catcher John Buck and infielder Emilio Bonifacio to the Toronto Blue Jays in a 12-player deal, receiving no sure studs in return.

An official from each team familiar with the deal confirmed it to USA TODAY Sports. The people spoke on condition of anonymity because the trade had not been finalized.

Giancarlo Stanton, the Marlins' lone remaining star, was so infuriated that he tweeted for the world and his own bosses to see: "Alright, I'm pissed off!!! Plain & Simple."

After watching his employers dump $242 million in salaries since July, Stanton probably doesn't figure he'll be staying long, either.

If you're Albert Pujols and Ozzie Guillen, you should thank the baseball gods. Pujols, remember, didn't buy the club's phony act in December and turned down more money from the Marlins before signing for $240 million with the Los Angeles Angels. Guillen can laugh at the circus while collecting $7.5 million over the next three years after being fired as manager after one season.

Wrap your mind around this: Guillen was fired in part for comments about Fidel Castro, yet the Marlins are acquiring Yunel Escobar, who was fined and suspended for wearing a homophobic slur on his eye black.

The Marlins weren't available to comment Tuesday, instead sending a Twitter message hyping the Venezuela-Nigeria soccer game tonight at their baseball palace.

I can't wait to see the reception when Loria and Samson walk through the lobby doors today at baseball's quarterly owners' meetings, but if I'm the clerk at the O'Hare Hyatt, I make sure that credit card on file is legitimate.

These guys conned taxpayers into paying $409 million for their retractable-roof stadium, and there's a cool $2.4 billion service debt. They told their public they would be the New York Yankees of the South, only to become the same ol' Marlins. The dollars they've committed beyond 2013? Zero.

Really, there's only one act left for these clowns to pull their ultimate Barnum and Bailey encore: Alex Rodriguez, rocking that cute rainbow-colored uniform next year.