Derek Jeter gets unanimous approval to buy Marlins
The Jeffrey Loria reign with the Miami Marlins is nearly at an end. Major League Baseball owners unanimously voted to approve a group led by former New York Yankees superstar Derek Jeter as the team’s next owner.
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The owners voted on a conference call Wednesday morning. All 29 other owners voted to approve Jeter and control person Bruce Sherman as the next owners of the Marlins.
While the owners are on board with the move, Jeter isn’t in charge just yet. The vote is contingent upon the franchise officially being sold to Jeter’s group. That’s expected to happen next week, per MLB’s statement.
That’s pretty much a formality. In the statement, commissioner Rob Manfred thanked Loria for his years as owner and congratulated Jeter’s group on the upcoming purchase.
“I wish the best to Jeffrey Loria and David Samson. During their tenures, the Marlins won the 2003 World Series, hosted this season’s successful All-Star Week at spectacular Marlins Park and eagerly supported our efforts to grow the game internationally. I congratulate Mr. Sherman on receiving approval from the Major League Clubs as the new control person of the Marlins and look forward to Mr. Jeter’s ownership and CEO role following his extraordinary career as a player.”
With the sale nearly complete, Jeter will now be tasked with building the Marlins into winners once again. The team has already been eliminated from the postseason this year.
Jeter has a lot to deal with once he officially takes over. There have been rumors that the team could deal superstar outfielder Giancarlo Stanton during the offseason, as Jeter may slash payroll.
He’ll also have to determine which staff members will remain on board. Jeter has already made some moves there, parting ways with some former Marlins legends. It’s said Jeter is not a huge fan of the home run sculpture, though that’s probably lower on his list of priorities right now.
Jeter was known during his career as the ultimate professional, who won with talent and intangibles. In many respects, he was every owner’s perfect player.
Now that the roles have been switched, it will be interesting to see how Jeter opts to build his clubs. Following his own blueprint seems wise, but there are few players like Jeters every generation.
Whatever he decides, Jeter has his work cut out for him. For the first time in a while, the Marlins are going to be a must-watch club in the offseason.
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Chris Cwik is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at christophercwik@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Chris_Cwik
