He was one of the greatest players who ever lived. Does that qualify you to run both the business and baseball sides of a team that needs a total makeover when you have zero experience, and particularly when you fail to surround yourself with experience and excellence in the front office on the business side?
I have a lot more to say on the subject, but ultimately it’s Sherman’s fault for handing him full autonomy. Jeter as CEO might have had at least chance if Sherman had paired him with an experienced and competent club president running the show and hiring experienced and competent vice presidents who would have been left to hire excellent staffs.
Now they no longer have Jeter’s name, for any benefit that may have proven to be worth. They’re just left with inexperience and incompetence at the the top of the business side of the organization.
They hired 2 competent senior-level people. Adam Jones and Chip Bowers. They eventually ran them both off, Chip after less than a year. They inherited several extremely competent people in senior-level positions. They were all run off, some immediately others over a bit more time.
What makes those trades even more galling is what we got back for those future all stars. Which of those trades if any produced a better result for the Marlins. Yes, this is most likely a rhetorical question.
They get credit for getting Sandy and Zac Gallen out of the Ozuna trade. But they then lost the trade in which they sent Gallen to Arizona for Jazz, a tremendous raw talent who can’t stay on the field and--to this point--has not produced at a level anywhere close to the hype that surrounds him. As much as most Marlins fans love Jazz’s style, ask 100 baseball people who they’d rather have on their team for a decade--Gallen or Jazz--and at least 95 will say Gallen. That’s undeniable as much as folks who love Jazz’s style hate to hear it.
The Yelich and Realmuto trades were unmitigated disasters.
And while the Stanton trade got them out of paying him $255 million, they’ve simply pocketed that money rather than invest it in improving the team.
As a former Marlins employee and longtime fan, I not only wish this is how it happened but I wish we still had the last ownership. At least the previous ownership group knew our community and invested (in my opinion) more into it. This fan base has been so demoralized and disappointed that it is not even worth going to games for me. I am sure that if Bruce kept that team and just invested a little in the experience, the team would go much farther than it has. You are right when you say this leadership has not really invested much passion and energy into our community. We can only dream that this team gets sold again….but to the right group.
Well said. Not that it would necessarily matter to the average fan, but the front office culture and front office morale under previous ownership was exponentially better than it is now. While I’m no longer living it personally, I continue to hear really distressing stories from people who are still there. The lack of appreciation for the work people do and the overall lack of respect shown is terrible. There’s no leadership. There’s no motivation. It’s really sad. Shouldn’t be this way. They needed an experienced club president from day one to take the lead and set the tone. Instead, here they are 6 years in.
I experienced the lack of leadership, care and respect first hand. It is such a bad environment and the disconnect between the very top and the people is huge. This “leadership” needs a complete shift starting with Caroline and her VPs. We need people who care about Miami, who know Miami and who truly want the Marlins to be a successful ball club.
Here’s the thing: They could justify their style and their methods, no matter how much some might disagree with them, if they were having success. But the business side of the operation is a disaster. And you can’t tell me the team today is better than the team they inherited in 2017.
I believe that had the Marlins kept Stanton, Realmuto, Yelich and Oz that the Fish would have had a
chance to contend for the playoffs from 2018 on forward. Jorge Mass said that was his plan if his bid
to purchase the Marlins. He said he would have seen if it would work for a year or 2 and then make
decisions based on what happened during that 2 year period. I personally believe it had a good chance of succeeding with the addition of a couple of good free agent pitchers. In 2018 I had dinner
with one of the minority partners and we had a heated but professional argument about this topic.
In my opinion the Marlins had a good chance of increasing their sales and bottom line if they kept
that team together. Not only would the attendance improve substantially but the TV and Advertising
I agree with you completely, Bob. And that Jorge Mas strategy is exactly what I laid out in this piece.
The exact quote I wrote from fictional Sherman was: “If I’m wrong, at some point we may have no choice but to tear it down and rebuild and put fans through the whole process again. But I don’t want to do that. I believe we can make this work.”
Could the plan Sherman chose have worked? Yes. There’s a chance it could have. I think a smaller chance than investing to improve the club he inherited.
Here we are 6 years in, and this team is further from winning than the day Sherman walked in the door--with the #30 offense in MLB over the last 6 years and a pitching staff where the whole continues to look like less than a sum of the parts. They’re also much further from having fans care than the day Sherman walked in the door.
Additionally, the value of the club has plummeted. The carrots that were in front of a new owner--the opportunity for a new TV deal and a ballpark naming rights deal--have been wasted as they stumbled their way to below-market deals on both.
As someone who, like you, has invested a lot more passion and energy into this team and community than any of the current leadership, I find it maddening and sad.
I’d written confidently for nearly a year that no one could come in and tear it down, because of the historical baggage and mass PR miscalculation it would be. Sigh.
You’re thinking with common sense and logic, through a lens of loving the game. I don’t thing they have the same eyes. I live far away, but I love the stadium and the team so much! I visit whenever I can! This team just needs a little love and support and we will see a click over to winning. There aren’t time machines, but you’re right. Things would have been very different. The guys here now, though, can get it done, with work, support, and fans who love them. Great article, Glen!
It’s on my list. 🤣
Tell me more tell me more! It’s a Substack!
What was missing in Jeter that I did not see???
He was one of the greatest players who ever lived. Does that qualify you to run both the business and baseball sides of a team that needs a total makeover when you have zero experience, and particularly when you fail to surround yourself with experience and excellence in the front office on the business side?
I have a lot more to say on the subject, but ultimately it’s Sherman’s fault for handing him full autonomy. Jeter as CEO might have had at least chance if Sherman had paired him with an experienced and competent club president running the show and hiring experienced and competent vice presidents who would have been left to hire excellent staffs.
Now they no longer have Jeter’s name, for any benefit that may have proven to be worth. They’re just left with inexperience and incompetence at the the top of the business side of the organization.
They hired 2 competent senior-level people. Adam Jones and Chip Bowers. They eventually ran them both off, Chip after less than a year. They inherited several extremely competent people in senior-level positions. They were all run off, some immediately others over a bit more time.
What makes those trades even more galling is what we got back for those future all stars. Which of those trades if any produced a better result for the Marlins. Yes, this is most likely a rhetorical question.
They get credit for getting Sandy and Zac Gallen out of the Ozuna trade. But they then lost the trade in which they sent Gallen to Arizona for Jazz, a tremendous raw talent who can’t stay on the field and--to this point--has not produced at a level anywhere close to the hype that surrounds him. As much as most Marlins fans love Jazz’s style, ask 100 baseball people who they’d rather have on their team for a decade--Gallen or Jazz--and at least 95 will say Gallen. That’s undeniable as much as folks who love Jazz’s style hate to hear it.
The Yelich and Realmuto trades were unmitigated disasters.
And while the Stanton trade got them out of paying him $255 million, they’ve simply pocketed that money rather than invest it in improving the team.
As a former Marlins employee and longtime fan, I not only wish this is how it happened but I wish we still had the last ownership. At least the previous ownership group knew our community and invested (in my opinion) more into it. This fan base has been so demoralized and disappointed that it is not even worth going to games for me. I am sure that if Bruce kept that team and just invested a little in the experience, the team would go much farther than it has. You are right when you say this leadership has not really invested much passion and energy into our community. We can only dream that this team gets sold again….but to the right group.
Well said. Not that it would necessarily matter to the average fan, but the front office culture and front office morale under previous ownership was exponentially better than it is now. While I’m no longer living it personally, I continue to hear really distressing stories from people who are still there. The lack of appreciation for the work people do and the overall lack of respect shown is terrible. There’s no leadership. There’s no motivation. It’s really sad. Shouldn’t be this way. They needed an experienced club president from day one to take the lead and set the tone. Instead, here they are 6 years in.
I experienced the lack of leadership, care and respect first hand. It is such a bad environment and the disconnect between the very top and the people is huge. This “leadership” needs a complete shift starting with Caroline and her VPs. We need people who care about Miami, who know Miami and who truly want the Marlins to be a successful ball club.
Here’s the thing: They could justify their style and their methods, no matter how much some might disagree with them, if they were having success. But the business side of the operation is a disaster. And you can’t tell me the team today is better than the team they inherited in 2017.
I believe that had the Marlins kept Stanton, Realmuto, Yelich and Oz that the Fish would have had a
chance to contend for the playoffs from 2018 on forward. Jorge Mass said that was his plan if his bid
to purchase the Marlins. He said he would have seen if it would work for a year or 2 and then make
decisions based on what happened during that 2 year period. I personally believe it had a good chance of succeeding with the addition of a couple of good free agent pitchers. In 2018 I had dinner
with one of the minority partners and we had a heated but professional argument about this topic.
In my opinion the Marlins had a good chance of increasing their sales and bottom line if they kept
that team together. Not only would the attendance improve substantially but the TV and Advertising
revenue would also have increased substantially.
I agree with you completely, Bob. And that Jorge Mas strategy is exactly what I laid out in this piece.
The exact quote I wrote from fictional Sherman was: “If I’m wrong, at some point we may have no choice but to tear it down and rebuild and put fans through the whole process again. But I don’t want to do that. I believe we can make this work.”
Could the plan Sherman chose have worked? Yes. There’s a chance it could have. I think a smaller chance than investing to improve the club he inherited.
Here we are 6 years in, and this team is further from winning than the day Sherman walked in the door--with the #30 offense in MLB over the last 6 years and a pitching staff where the whole continues to look like less than a sum of the parts. They’re also much further from having fans care than the day Sherman walked in the door.
Additionally, the value of the club has plummeted. The carrots that were in front of a new owner--the opportunity for a new TV deal and a ballpark naming rights deal--have been wasted as they stumbled their way to below-market deals on both.
As someone who, like you, has invested a lot more passion and energy into this team and community than any of the current leadership, I find it maddening and sad.
…if only 🥴
I’d written confidently for nearly a year that no one could come in and tear it down, because of the historical baggage and mass PR miscalculation it would be. Sigh.
If only...
You’re thinking with common sense and logic, through a lens of loving the game. I don’t thing they have the same eyes. I live far away, but I love the stadium and the team so much! I visit whenever I can! This team just needs a little love and support and we will see a click over to winning. There aren’t time machines, but you’re right. Things would have been very different. The guys here now, though, can get it done, with work, support, and fans who love them. Great article, Glen!
Thank you, Jackie!