So it turns out that Jeb Bush won’t be owning the Marlins after all. Bush pulled out of a Derek Jeter-highlighted group looking to buy the Miami MLB team because he wanted to be the “control” person in the ownership group.
While this seems like a reasonable request, it loses some of its effectiveness when you realize that Bush was only going to contribute roughly $10 million to the cause, per FanRag Sports. Jeter’s Bush-less group is still reportedly the favorite to win the bidding for the Marlins.
“I believe Jeter’s in position to get the deal done,” one person familiar with the discussions said. Bush was said by sources to be planning to chip in only $10 million – less than 1 percent the sale price – so it’s hard to understand how he could ever think he’d be in control. While it isn’t known how much Jeter plans to invest, he is seen as the best possible vehicle to raise money in baseball as a universally beloved and respected figure with five rings and no blemishes on his record.
The Bush departure (and he has told people he exited over the control issue) doesn’t seem to have dampened Jeter’s desire or effort to be part of an ownership group, and many people do still see him as having a realistic chance despite some financing concerns. Nor has it dampened the spirits of some connected to the Marlins, who seem to still seem to prefer his group.
At 21-30, the Marlins are fourth place in the NL East, 11.5 games behind the Washington Nationals. The team hasn’t made the playoffs since 2003 (when they won the World Series for the second time in their brief existence), and hasn’t finished above .500 since 2009 under current third base coach Fredi Gonzalez.
Whoever ends up owning the Marlins, be it the Jeter group, the Tagg Romney/Tom Glavine group, or a party that hasn’t been publicly reported yet, will be faced with rebuilding the reputation of a franchise that has long suffered under the ownership of art dealer Jeffrey Loria. But with Giancarlo Stanton inked through at least 2020 (which could be when he opts out of his $325 million control), Christian Yelich signed through 2021, and the breakout trio of Justin Bour, Marcell Ozuna, and JT Realmuto all under team control for at least two more seasons, the club definitely has some strong pieces to build a contender around.
