The MLB Winter Meetings wrapped up last week and the Miami Marlins are having arguably the most eventful offseason in the league. Back in early October an investment group led by Bruce Sherman and New York Yankees legend Derek Jeter purchased the Marlins. Ever since the sale, the ownership group has been raising eyebrows over their decisions. The Marlins have said goodbye to all-stars Dee Gordon and Marcell Ozuna, and superstar slugger Giancarlo Stanton via trades. They received prospects in return.
Many fans have been pretty unhappy with all these moves. Some are worried that the ownership group, which purchased the team for $1.2 billion, has simply run out of money.
The tumultuous season for the Marlins started when star pitcher José Fernández was tragically killed in a boating accident. The team then dealt with low attendance figures (only two MLB teams had fewer fans attending their games last season) and another losing season. They haven’t had a record above .500 since 2009.
Marlins CEO Derek Jeter actually hosted a town hall at the stadium with Marlins season ticket holders about the future of the team. Season ticket holder “Marlins Man” has held seats since 1993, but told Jeter he hasn’t renewed his season tickets because he refuses to pay major league prices for “a Triple-A team.”
Jeter said fans will “grow to admire the players” coming in, and the list does include some promising prospects, but how they perform on the big stage is yet to be determined. Jeter assured fans he wants to win and that the future is bright in sunny Miami. If you’ve seen the attendance figures for Marlins games the last few seasons, you won’t have much doubt that things can only get better from here.
