Derek Jeter shocked the baseball world today when he announced that he would be stepping down as CEO of the Miami Marlins and surrendering his ownership stake with the team.
The Hall of Fame shortstop did not have much success during his tenure with the Marlins.
The team finished under the .500 mark and missed the playoffs almost every year Jeter was at the helm, save for the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, a season in which there were only 60 regular season games played, and the postseason was expanded to 16 teams due to the season being so short in comparison to a regular 162 games.
If the #Marlins are back in full tank mode, their pitching staff will become a major trade priority for teams actually trying to win baseball games.
— Spotrac (@spotrac) February 28, 2022
What’s Next?
Now, with Jeter being gone, there’s a good chance the Marlins will become major sellers.
They did acquire Gold Glove catcher Jacob Stallings from the Pirates and also signed Avisail Garcia, but they haven’t done anything else thus far in the offseason, and if they planned on doing more, the lockout put those plans on hold.
The Marlins do have some players that they could turn into trade candidates.
Though Sandy Alcantara was extended, he’s likely to be someone who the Marlins may try to move in order to get a haul of prospects.
Pablo Lopez, Sixto Sanchez, Garrett Cooper, and Jesus Aguilar may also be trade candidates.
Tanking Again?
It’s pretty evident that the Marlins aren’t really trying to win.
They seem more interested in selling their product instead, which is more than likely what made Jeter decide to walk away.
Jeter, who won five rings as a member of the Yankees, is used to being competitive, and it seems that the Marlins are just trying to operate as a business, while also openly tanking, which has been a point of emphasis in lockout talks.
NEXT: Derek Jeter Helped The Yankees While With The Marlins