Derek Jeter Just Quit His High Profile Job
Derek Jeter — one of the greatest baseball players of all time — spent 20 seasons of his impressive career with the New York Yankees. The New Jersey native won five World Series rings and finished his career as a 14-time All-Star with 3,465 hits, and a five-time Gold Glove Award winner, per Fox News. With a résumé like that, it was no surprise the next step for Jeter was to own a team.
In September 2017, Jeter made history as the Major League Baseball's first Black CEO when he joined the Marlins after Bruce Sherman acquired the team from Jeffrey Loria for $1.2 billion, per the AP. However, it looks like there may have been trouble in paradise, as Jeter abruptly stepped down from his position on February 28 — coincidentally the day of Major League Baseball's deadline for establishing a new collective bargaining agreement and preserving the start of the 162-game season.
According to The Athletic, Jeter ended his contract a few months before it was set to expire. So what went wrong?
Derek Jeter had a different vision for the franchise
The first telling detail about Derek Jeter's departure comes after he released his own statement – rather than one with the Miami Marlins — through PR Newswire. He revealed he wasn't just stepping down as CEO, but that he would also be giving up his ownership stake of about 4%. "We had a vision five years ago to turn the Marlins franchise around, and as CEO, I have been proud to put my name and reputation on the line to make our plan a reality."
While it's still unclear what was the defining moment that prompted the former Yankee player to make such a big decision, he did provide some insight into what was happening internally. "The vision for the future of the franchise is different than the one I signed up to lead. Now is the right time for me to step aside as a new season begins." The Marlins were able to accomplish several things while Jeter was in charge. They snagged a naming rights deal, new TV contract, unveiled new uniforms, and hired the first woman general manager in MLB — Kim Ng, per ESPN.
However, the Marlins had a tough four seasons under Jeter. They went 218-327 and finished only once with 31-29 winning record in the shortened 2020 season, per NBC Sports. The New York Post reports that the Marlins' frugality and unwillingness to expand payroll spending ultimately convinced Jeter that the franchise wasn't willing to build a winning team.