Miami Marlins chairman and principal owner Bruce Sherman is unhappy with the team’s performance in his fifth year of ownership and has met with club officials to begin plotting a course for a franchise that will finish with a losing record for the 12th time in the past 13 years.
Sherman, who agreed to answer emailed questions from the Miami Herald, said he has given no consideration to selling the team and said the organization must assess why the on-field product fell well below his expectations.
The Marlins were 57-82 entering Monday’s doubleheader against the Texas Rangers.
“The 2022 season has been immensely frustrating for me,” Sherman wrote in the email exchange. “I am just as disappointed as our fans. One of our goals this season was to get back to postseason contention, and it hurts not to be in the playoff picture at this time of year.
“This past offseason, the front office took several key steps to construct a competitive playoff-caliber team. We were not as good as we thought we’d be. Now, we have to look in the mirror to understand what went wrong, what needs to improve and what we need to do this offseason to get back to the playoffs in 2023.”
That internal analysis already has begun. Sherman met last week with Kim Ng, and she is expected to be retained for a third season as general manager, according to a source.
Sherman and Ng have gone together to visit at least one of the Marlins’ minor-league affiliates, and Sherman has visited some of the others on his own.
Some of those internal discussions also have included chief operating officer Caroline O’Connor, whom Sherman values and plans to retain.
But there are expected to be some changes in the on-field coaching staff and elsewhere in the front office, sources said. Manager Don Mattingly has not said whether he would like to return next season, and the team has not publicly addressed his status.
The most expensive of the team’s offseason’s transactions — a four-year, $53 million contract for outfielder Avisail Garcia — has not worked out.
Former Marlins CEO Derek Jeter signed off on that signing and all of the significant decisions during Sherman’s first four years of ownership — including ending negotiations with top baseball executive Michael Hill and hiring Ng — before Jeter mutually parted ways with Sherman and the Marlins this past spring.
Sherman was unhappy with the team’s performance in four years under Jeter’s direction, according to a source. And Jeter was reportedly unhappy that Sherman didn’t spend more money on player payroll.
It’s unclear how heavily Ng was involved in personnel transactions while Jeter was CEO.
Since Jeter’s departure, Ng — in consultation with several Marlins executives — has made several personnel moves, including giving a three-year, $36 million deal to outfielder Jorge Soler, who has underperformed (.207, 34 RBI in 72 games) and been sidelined since July 22 with a back injury. He won’t play again this season.
Have the bad free agent experiences soured Sherman on spending in free agency?
“No,” he said. “We have invested significantly at all levels of this organization and will continue to explore all options in order to bring the desired sustained success to this organization.”
But the size of the team’s payroll is one topic that Sherman has consistently refused to address, including in this interview.
In pursuing a stadium with public money, former owner Jeffrey Loria and ex-team president David Samson told local politicians that a new ballpark would allow them to afford a payroll in the midrange of big league teams, which would be about $146 million this season.
Instead, the Marlins’ 2022 payroll ranks 26th at $80 million.
Asked if a payroll in the midrange of teams — or even a payroll of $100 million — is realistic and in the plans, Sherman said only: “I can’t speak to prior ownership. Our payroll has grown substantially in recent years, and we expect to continue to invest once again in our Major League payroll in 2023.
“Our ownership group’s goal is to deliver a sustainable, winning franchise to Miami. I hoped we would be there today, but are not, so we are continuing to invest to work toward that goal.”
The Marlins’ revenues have increased significantly in the past 18 months, primarily from a new TV deal that reportedly pays the team at least $32 million more annually than the previous one, which was the lowest in baseball.
Last winter, Sherman declined to say whether all of that new revenue would be allocated toward player payroll.
Asked what needs to be done to fix the franchise, Sherman said: “I think we have a lot of talent in our organization, but there are areas we can improve. I am working with the leaders in the front office to address our shortcomings and identify our opportunities to excel, and they are empowered to make the decisions to make this organization better.”
That means that Ng likely will be able to hire some new executives around her if she chooses. Gary Denbo, who was among Jeter’s first hires and close confidantes, was fired in June from his job as the team’s vice president of scouting and player development.
During Sherman’s ownership, the Marlins have acquired and developed several young pitchers who have thrived but have consistently struggled to find and develop capable hitters.
The 2022 Marlins are fourth worst in Major League Baseball in runs per game at 3.56, tied for third worst in average (.229) and fourth worst in on-base percentage (.294).
Does Sherman believe the team needs to trade for quality hitters, sign them in free agency or both?
“We are proud to boast one of the best starting pitching rotations in baseball,” he answered. “But, our offense needs to be better. There are a number of ways in which we can address adding impact bats to our roster.
“In the offseason, we will look at all of our options to determine what makes the most sense for the present and the future. We will also be reviewing our processes for developing our position players in the minors; as we know, that is a key element to creating sustained success.”
The Marlins embarked on a major rebuilding project when Sherman bought the team, slashing payroll by trading star outfielders Giancarlo Stanton, Christian Yelich and Marcell Ozuna, among others, from a team that went 77-85 in Loria’s final season as owner.
The Marlins have gone 63-98, 57-105, 31-29, 67-95 and 57-82 in Sherman’s five seasons, making the playoffs during the COVID-shortened 2020 season.
When it was mentioned to Sherman that the ownership experience so far could not have been particularly enjoyable for him, he made clear that he’s not looking to sell.
“No, I have never considered selling the team,” he said. “I am more deeply invested in the team’s success now than ever. I’m looking forward to reaching the playoffs, returning the World Series trophy to South Florida, and making this community proud of its hometown team.
“I appreciate the continued support from our members [season-ticket holders] and our partners. It has also been great to see us have one of the largest attendance growths in baseball this season when compared to 2019 – which is reflective of the interest this community has in the loanDepot park experience.
“I know the importance of baseball succeeding in this growing market — both to Major League Baseball and the generations of fans of the game who live in South Florida, and we are excited about the opportunities in front of us.”
The Marlins rank 29th in average attendance at 11,531 per game, ahead of only Oakland, but that’s higher than the Marlins’ 10,016 per-game average in 2019.
This story was originally published September 12, 2022 11:55 AM.
