Jeter’s Vision for the Marlins’ Future: Incompetent and Unnecessary

Derek Jeter has taken a lot of heat from Marlins fans after making a slew of questionable ownership decisions since taking over the franchise. Miami has yet to play a single game since Jeter bought out the team (becoming both CEO and President of Baseball Operations), and yet many people are already wondering if this team is going backwards. One of Jeter’s first moves in the organization was using his influence to get rid of three longtime broadcasters. Not a good PR look at all. However, the issues with the ownership’s vision go far beyond firing some longtime employees. “Project Citrus” is supposedly going to make the Marlins into a model franchise, but most of its core ideas are questionable at best:

1. Looking for cash infusion. Just months after closing a huge purchase, the owners are looking for another investor willing to put in $250 million into the franchise.
2. New stadium naming rights, sponsorship deals, advertising, in-stadium concerts, and potential contract with regional sports network.
3. Squeeze payroll, down from $115 million to $85 million. This would make the Marlins the 5^th lowest payroll in the MLB (Brewers, Athletics, Rays, Padres).
4. Focus on the farm team – this hints at a massive rebuild, which seems to have already begun.

Essentially, the Marlins’ vision is to start over. I think this is a huge mistake, especially when you take into consideration the fanbase, which must be getting incredibly frustrated with the lack of success this team has had. The worst part is, this team – entering the 2017 offseason – had a ton of potential. There was actually a reason for the fans to get excited, and now Jeter plans on stripping that all down.

Giancarlo Stanton was obviously the centerpiece of the franchise, locked in place with a 13-year mega-contract. Getting rid of him to free up money for other team needs was not an egregious offense; in fact, I felt it was a good move for the team. However, the deal itself – and now the subsequent all-out rebuilding plans – is what fans should be angry about. Jeter traded the NL MVP to the Yankees for Starlin Castro and two low-level prospects who are years away from making the majors, if they ever do: Jorge Guzman and Jose Devers. The Marlins got fleeced. Jeter should not even have entertained an offer from New York unless Clint Frazier was involved. The deal was clearly driven solely by money-dumping, which was mistake #1 on Jeter’s part. God forbid the Marlins have to keep the greatest slugger in the MLB for another year?! If anything, the trade market for Stanton would be even more attractive in 2018 because his services would seem incredibly cheap when compared to the contract Bryce Harper wants.

Apparently, the Stanton deal was just the tip of the iceberg. The Marlins seem to be pursuing an all-out fire sale, which has me scratching my head. Teams strive to develop a young, talented core group of players under team control – not trade them away. These players generally form the foundation, and then supplementary stars and role players are brought in to round out the team. The Marlins were well-set with Marcell Ozuna (2 years of team control before needing a new contract), Christian Yelich (5 years of control), Justin Bour (3 years of control), and JT Realmuto (3 years of control) as that young core. The Marlins are now taking a White-Sox-esque approach, where everybody is for sale. Dee Gordon was traded to the Mariners, which has the appearance of another salary dump. Marcell Ozuna has already been traded to the Cardinals for a few prospects, with only one of those kids having realistic potential of being a quality starter in the majors. Apparently Yelich is now on the trade market, which is a huge shame if you are a Marlins fan. And since you cannot half-ass a rebuild, logic will indicate that Justin Bour will be shopped around as well. That leaves JT Realmuto, who has recently requested a trade after seeing most of his good friends being dealt away. There is a definite need for pitching outside of Jose Urena, but don’t expect the Marlins to be throwing money at any frontline starters in the foreseeable future.

Just like that, the Marlins will go from a team with promise and young talent to one of the worst teams in the MLB, if not the worst. Their daily lineup will be a skeleton of an MLB-caliber team, and the fans will have to endure probably another 5-6 years of sucking. Although, the Nationals are locked in at the top right now, who knows what will happen to them if Harper decides to leave. Behind them, it was anyone’s division up for the taking.

The most discouraging part is that the farm system is not stocked with future stars, like the White Sox. Bad major league team, below-average farm system, Jeter’s “vision” for the Marlins’ future must be very far down the road; he hit the total reset button on the franchise at a time when it did not really need to be reset.

Written by Matt Loehle