Jeffrey Loria is in the process of selling the Miami Marlins, the team he has owned for the last 15 years.
As Loria prepares to turn his team over to a group led by Derek Jeter, he says he has no sadness over losing his team.
Jeffrey Loria says "there's no sadness whatsoever – I love this game" when asked to describe feelings as ownership winds down.
— clarkspencer (@clarkspencer) August 19, 2017
Loria said his reasons for selling Marlins are "very personal." Would not elaborate.
— clarkspencer (@clarkspencer) August 19, 2017
Though Loria did not give reasons for why he is selling the team, other explanations have been provided in the past. The Miami Herald previously reported that sadness over the death of Jose Fernandez; disappointment over the team’s losing; and criticism from the fans all contributed to Loria deciding it was time to move on.
After winning the World Series in Loria’s second year of ownership (their second title in franchise history, to boot), the Marlins failed to qualify for the postseason. Their postseason drought stretches back to 2003, and the team has not had a winning season since 2009. The Marlins have long been viewed as a second-rate franchise. Hopefully new ownership will change that.
