Marlins president and majority owner Bruce Sherman rebutted in a statement Tuesday. a report in the Los Angeles Times that the Miami team “could go on sale soon.”
“The Marlins are not for sale, they have not been under my ownership and they are not for as long as I live. It is irresponsible to report otherwise,” Sherman said in the statement.
“It is and will continue to be a great privilege to own this great organization. I look forward to seeing our loyal fans on Opening Day on March 30.”
This statement is in line with what Sherman told the Miami Herald in an email interview in September and confirms the excited sentiment two weeks ago regarding the ownership group’s commitment to the franchise, despite the fact that the last five seasons have been in mostly frustrating in terms of results.
Miami has a 287-420 record since Sherman’s group took over before the 2018 season.
The only positive note for the Marlins came in the 2020 season, cut short by the pandemic, when the team went 31-29 and played in the National League Division Series.
The team has lost at least 93 games in the four seasons under Sherman’s watch.
“No, he never considered selling the team,” Sherman said in the interview in September.
“I am more deeply involved in the success of the team now than ever before. I’m looking forward to advancing to the playoffs, returning the World Series trophy to South Florida and making this community proud of their hometown team.”
“I appreciate the continued support of our season ticket purchasers and our partners. It’s also been great to see us have some of the highest attendance growth in baseball this season compared to 2019, which reflects the interest this community has in the loanDepot park experience.”
“I know how important it is for baseball to succeed in this growing market, both to Major League Baseball and to generations of fans of the game living in South Florida. We are excited about the opportunities in front of us,” said Sherman.
Miami in the last three weeks has done significant work to add top-caliber players to its roster.
The Marlins acquired defending American League batting champion Luis Arráez on Friday in a trade with the Minnesota Twins for pitcher Pablo López.
They previously signed two Dominican players: infielder Jean Segura and right-hander Johnny Cueto.
Those offseason moves came after the team crafted ace Sandy Alcantara, who won the National League Cy Young Award last season, to a five-year, $56 million deal.
The Miami club also awarded big contracts to Venezuelan outfielder Avisail Garcia (four years, $53 million) and Cuban Jorge Soler (who earned $12 million last contest, will earn $15 million in this one and has a $9 million option for 2024).
García and Soler had injury problems in their first season with the fish.
The Marlins Opening Day roster, as it currently stands on the player list, it is estimated at $90.35 million, according to Cot’s Baseball.
While well below the league average, it would be the fourth highest payroll to start a season in franchise history, behind $115.4 million in 2017, $101.6 million in 2012 and $99.5 million in 2018.
This story was originally published on January 24, 2023 18:17.
