A hot Virginius Affair and Spain's logistical problem

What might a United States-Spain war have looked like if the Virginius Affair had gone hot in 1873?

The United States was likely better placed, especially if it seized the Spanish ironclad in Brooklyn, while Spain faced long supply lines and a weaker supporting economy.

The United States would probably have been in the stronger position in a hot Virginius crisis. Seizing the Spanish ironclad already under repair at the Brooklyn Navy Yard would have improved the American opening balance further. Spain faced the difficulty of sustaining naval operations at the far end of a long infrastructure and supply line. Its more fragile economy would compound that geographic disadvantage. The answer makes logistics and access to repair facilities more important than a simple comparison of ships on paper.