The Marlins Held a Town Hall Meeting Today, and Fans Let Jeter Have It
The Marlins' new management, led by some guy named Derek Jeter, is not the most popular group of executives in Major League Baseball at the moment.
After finalizing a deal to buy the team for $1.2 billion toward the end of the 2017 season, Jeter & Co. immediately made their intention to trade reigning NL MVP Giancarlo Stanton known. That set the tone for a number of cost-cutting moves that have left pundits scratching their hands and Marlins fans crying foul.
First, the Marlins traded two-time All-Star Dee Gordon to the Mariners, but it wasn't this deal—which has its merits for Miami—that ruffled feathers. It was the next two. Jeter then traded Stanton to the Yankees, the team Jeter played for his entire Hall of Fame career, in exchange for Stalin Castro and two mediocre prospects. Next up was moving 27-year-old All-Star outfielder Marcell Ozuna to the Cardinals for prospects, despite the fact that Ozuna made under $4 million last season and is expected to make around $11 million this year pending arbitration.
These moves have drawn the ire of players (Stanton expressed frustration with management at his Yankees introductory press conference), fans (see: Twitter.com), and even agents (Scott Boras called the organization a "pawn shop").
All things considered, the Marlins actually deserve some credit for holding a town hall-style meeting with season ticket holders after all this. That's exactly what they did on Tuesday night, and if social media is to be believed, the atmosphere was not exactly warm.
The most famous Marlins fan in the world, Marlins Man, was in attendance and didn't hold back in an interaction with Jeter.
From all accounts, Jeter actually handled the situation quite well, and his first pitch offer apparently drew a bunch of laughs. But Marlins Man's sentiment is shared by a number of frustrated Marlins fans who just saw their two best players traded away for not that much.
This report from the Miami Herald's Barry Jackson, who was in attendance, details how angry fans repeatedly peppered Jeter, who answered questions for more than 90 minutes, with the same questions: Why did't we just add pitching and contend? Why did you buy the team if you can't afford players? Why should I renew my season tickets?
Again, the organization and Jeter warrant kudos for sitting there and facing the very people their moves angered. They didn't have to do that. But it's clear that this fanbase is the furthest thing from pleased.
