Miami Marlins return to being completely forgettable
There are certain things that are just eminently forgettable in life. The color beige. Waiting rooms. Elevator muzak. Anonymous hotel rooms. For years, the Miami Marlins were baseball’s version of all of those things.
That changed approximately five years ago. Derek Jeter was part of the group that purchased the Marlins, immediately giving the team a level of attention that they had not had in franchise history, including the years that they won the World Series. The Marlins may have been mediocre outside of the 2020 campaign, but Jeter made certain that people would pay attention.
Miami Marlins back to being the beige of baseball
On Monday, Jeter surprisingly left the organization. All that is definitively known is that he stepped down as the CEO of the franchise and is getting rid of his shares. Reports are that Jeter decided to leave after money that he felt could be spent after the lockout was no longer there.
No matter the reasons, Jeter is no longer a part of the Marlins organization. And with that, most of the reason to pay attention to the team has been lost. Jeter was going to push for the Marlins to continue to improve, to build a sustainable contender. While the results have not been there just yet, one can see the framework in place.
Maybe the Marlins will continue to take steps to contend. Their starting rotation, and their pitching prospects, are certainly impressive. But that is not enough to be a contending team in either the NL East or for the playoffs – the Marlins need a lot more in their lineup and in the bullpen.
Based on the reasons why Jeter left, that does not seem likely to happen. The Marlins will likely be lucky to reach the .500 mark for the 2022 season, leaving them as another forgotten team until it comes time for the trade deadline. Then, once their impending free agents are sent away, most fans will forget they exist once again.
Now that Derek Jeter has left, the Miami Marlins are ready to be forgettable once more. They have gone back to being the beige of baseball.