While contentious negotiations to end the MLB lockout rage on, Derek Jeter shocked the baseball world on Monday morning when he announced in a statement that he was stepping down as CEO of the Marlins after five seasons.
The Yankee legend lives in Florida with his wife and children, and made no indication that he was stepping away from the game of baseball completely, so his departure from the Marlins was likely related to issues within the franchise itself, which Jeter hinted at when he included in his statement that the team’s direction didn’t match his vision.
This led to players across the league tweeting in support of Jeter for getting out of a franchise that wasn’t willing to spend, even from a Marlins player in Miguel Rojas. It isn’t confirmed that Jeter left because the team wasn’t as committed to winning as the ultra-competitive Jeter would like it to be, but according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post, that very issue could have a lot to do with Jeter stepping down.
Per Sherman, part of the reason Jeter stepped down and relinquished his four percent ownership of the club is because Marlins team chairman Bruce Sherman had approved an additional $10-15 million in spending to improve the roster once the lockout ended, but apparently backtracked on that approval. Jeter, who had helped improve Miami’s farm system and built one of the better young starting rotations in the game, was ready to try and make a push to finally make the Marlins a playoff team, and didn’t like the idea of waiting even longer to put more money and effort into making the team a winner.
Jeter’s Marlins were fairly active before the lockout, signing Avasail Garcia to a four-year deal and inking their ace Sandy Alcantara to a five-year contract. The team also traded for Jacob Stallings and Joey Wendle, but Jeter reportedly expected more moves to be made and more money to be spent once the lockout was over.
MLB players believe Derek Jeter stepped down due to competitive integrity: 'This is what leaders do'
Joel Sherman also reported that Bruce Sherman was “not pleased” with the business direction of the team, and was frustrated by his standing as the “main money man,” but was overshadowed by Jeter’s standing as the face of the franchise. He also reports that there was a “power struggle” brewing between two factions of people hired by Jeter, including his longtime friend Gary Denbo, the team’s VP of player development and scouting, and Kim Ng, the first-ever female general manager in baseball history.
Jeter only knew winning for his historic 20-year run with the Yankees, but as a CEO, the Marlins mainly struggled. He reportedly had enough after believing that the team wasn’t doing enough to try and turn things around.
Follow Ryan Chichester on Twitter: @ryanchichester1
Follow WFAN on Social Media
Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube | Twitch
