At the same time they are trying to get the Florida legislature to kick in $60 million for a $420-million stadium proposal, the Florida Marlins found $52 million nobody thought they had to sign Carlos Delgado.

At the same time they are claiming losses of around $40 million the last two years, they have jacked up the payroll to $65 million — higher than their World Series championship team of 2003 — or 1997 for that matter.

Why, these supposedly swimming-in-red-ink Fish even outbid spendthrift Orioles owner Peter Angelos and the New York Mets, this winter’s biggest market mover. Sound curious to you, too? If it’s all in the name of winning now, then owner Jeffrey Loria should be applauded, because fiscal responsibility aside, the team in teal has made itself better by taking this risk.

If there is one thing that could get 74-year-old Jack McKeon to hop out of the rocking chair and be excited about another season, it’s a left-handed slugger, and Delgado has been one of the best in the game over the last decade. In nine full seasons in Toronto, he averaged 36 homers and 100 RBI, with highs of 45 (1999) and 145 (2002).

Last season, despite missing five weeks with a rib-cage muscle injury, Delgado still got to the 30-homer mark, but fell one short of 100 RBI. Meanwhile, the Marlins’ leading home-run hitter from the left side in 2004 was — believe it or not — leadoff man Juan Pierre, with a grand total of three.

Yes, the Marlins’ lineup was so right-handed-dominant last season, opposing managers found ways to juggle their rotation and line up their right-handed starters for series against Florida. After Pierre and No. 2 hitter Luis Castillo (a switch hitter), the most-used Marlins lineup followed with six right-handed hitters — Miguel Cabrera, Mike Lowell, Paul LoDuca, Jeff Conine, Juan Encarnacion and Alex Gonzalez.

Stick Delgado in between Cabrera and Lowell, and the former gets better pitches to hit, while the latter should pad his RBI total, as Delgado posted four consecutive 100-plus-walk, .400-plus-on base percentage seasons in 2000-2003.

For those two reasons, you can build a case for signing Delgado as opposed to just hanging on to right-hand-hitting Derrek Lee, who the Marlins sent to the Cubs last winter. Lee had virtually the same power numbers as Delgado in 2004 (32 homers, 98 RBI), is 3½ years younger, a Gold Glove Award winner, and provides the rare commodity of stolen bases from a first baseman. And he’s much cheaper too, in the middle of a three-year, $22.5-million deal.

Meanwhile, Delgado will turn 33 in June and will be best-suited for the designated hitter role before this contract expires — except that he no longer has the DH as a fallback. Considering the move from SkyDome to Pro Player Stadium with its spacious right field, something in the area of 30 homers and 100 RBI should be an expected max. Moving from turf to grass should help ease some of Delgado’s chronic knee soreness, but it won’t help his defense at first base, which is adequate.

While Delgado is a steal this season at only $4 million, it gets financially dicey from there, as the deal escalates to salaries of $13.5 million in 2006, $14.5 million in 2007 and $16 million in 2008. It could extend one more year at $12 million, and at minimum, the Marlins will pay a $4-million buyout in 2009, when who knows, they may be playing home games on the Las Vegas strip.

But the Fish are trying to win now, and they have a much better chance to do so in what could be a tight NL East race. The rest of the lineup will fall into place, with Cabrera likely staying in left field, as Conine is coming off surgery and probably is best-suited at this point in his career to come off the bench.

The top of the rotation could be dominant, but then again, maybe not. You’re just not sure what you’re going to get from Josh Beckett, A.J. Burnett and Dontrelle Willis. But if another year of experience and maturity means anything, they could win 50 games between them. Al Leiter is on the downside, but still can pitch effectively, especially as a No. 4 starter. And the Fish wisely hung onto Ismael Valdez, giving them one of the best No. 5 starters in the game.

The bullpen hinges on Guillermo Mota’s ability to handle the closer role. There is little chance he can be as dominant as Armando Benitez was last season, so that is a downgrade. But veterans Antonio Alfonseca, John Reidling and Todd Jones have been brought in to improve the right side of the setup crew.

You can never discount the Braves, the Phillies still have the talent and should have an improved clubhouse chemistry sans worry wart Larry Bowa, and the Mets are better, if not still flawed in key areas. But there is good reason again to think the Marlins can get back to the postseason.

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