Derek Jeter, your new Miami Marlins co-owner
Derek Jeter was the last captain of the New York Yankees. Now he’ll lead the effort to beat them to a World Series championship.
Jeter is the headline name in a group that has reached an agreement to buy the Miami Marlins for $1.2 billion, the Miami Herald reported Friday.
Michael Jordan is one of the investors in the group, the Herald said.
The sale must be vetted by Major League Baseball and approved by the league’s owners.
In 2012, when Magic Johnson invested $50 million into the Guggenheim Baseball purchase of the Dodgers, Johnson did not become involved in the team’s day-to-day operations.
Jeter, whom the Herald said would invest $25 million, is expected to oversee the baseball and business operations for the Marlins. Johnson now oversees basketball operations for the Lakers.
One of the first decisions for Jeter: whether to retain his old Yankees teammate, Don Mattingly, as manager.
Mattingly led the Dodgers to three consecutive National League West championships, the last under Andrew Friedman, hired before the 2015 season as president of baseball operations. When Friedman declined to make a long-term commitment to Mattingly after the 2015 season, Mattingly took a four-year deal to manage the Marlins.
He is close with outgoing owner Jeffrey Loria, and the Marlins have not reached the postseason in 14 years. As Mattingly is well aware from his time with the Dodgers, changes in ownership and the front office can mean change in the manager’s chair.
“That doesn’t bother me,” he told The Times in May, as the Marlins’ sale process lurched forward. “I never worry about that. I’m here. I love it.
“If they don’t love me, I’ll do something else.”
Follow Bill Shaikin on Twitter @BillShaikin
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