Can Pudge Give Nudge?

The frugal Florida Marlins made an extravagant financial commitment to sign catcher Ivan Rodriguez because he can hit for average, drive in runs and provide Gold Glove defense.

But can he sell tickets?

The answer will help determine whether the Puerto Rican nicknamed Pudge is worth the $10 million Florida will pay him this season.

Rodriguez and the team’s other catchers and pitchers begin workouts Monday at their new spring training home in Jupiter, Fla. The Marlins are relocating there after spending their spring for the past 10 years in Melbourne, now Montreal’s training site.

The acquisition of Rodriguez is part of an effort to rekindle interest in the Marlins in their second season under owner Jeffrey Loria. Management claimed to sell more than 200 season tickets in the first 36 hours after Rodriguez signed last month.

“There’s a tremendous buzz,” President David Samson said. “My e-mails have taken a turn for the better, which is nice.”

Loria and Samson endured a rocky first season, beginning on opening day when the concession stands ran out of hot dogs. The Marlins finished 79-83 -- their fifth consecutive losing season -- and only some last-day chicanery with ticket sales prevented them from finishing last in the major leagues in home attendance.

Loria said he lost $20 million but still decided to increase the payroll this season by $6 million to $48 million. That includes the one-year free-agent deal for Rodriguez, who joins Florida after 12 seasons with the Texas Rangers.

Rodriguez, 31, is a gamble because he has been hampered by injuries the past three seasons. The only other Marlin player to receive an eight-figure salary was slugger Gary Sheffield, whose last game for Florida was in 1998.

So how much of the money will the Marlins make back? They say ticket sales are ahead of last year’s pace, and they project the acquisition of Rodriguez will bring in 100,000 additional fans.

“He’s a Hall of Fame-caliber player playing in his hometown,” Samson said.

Rodriguez already has ties to South Florida because he bought a 15-room house in Miami Beach in 2001. But other Latin stars who called Miami home, most notably pitchers Alex Fernandez and Livan Hernandez, made little impact on attendance.

Samson acknowledged that Rodriguez can help at the box office mostly by helping on the field.

“Historically, players don’t draw the way winning does,” Samson said. “If he happens to be marketable and we win, that’s when we get the effect.”

Attendance has declined 66% since the Marlins’ lone winning season in 1997, when they were World Series champions. Since then they’re 105 games below .500.

“One of the reasons the Marlins played like that the past few years is because of the fans,” Rodriguez said. “When you have 5,000 people, that’s frustrating a little bit. This year is going to be a little different. It’s going to be a different team. I invite all the fans to come, because it’s going to be different season, and I think this is going to be the year for the team.”

The Marlins are indeed a much different team than the one that reported for spring training a year ago. Traded since then were outfielders Cliff Floyd and Preston Wilson, ace Ryan Dempster, closer Antonio Alfonseca, starter Matt Clement and catcher Charles Johnson. Outfielders Eric Owens and Kevin Millar have also departed.