Jeffrey Loria’s handshake agreement to sell the Miami Marlins apparently fell through, though that will not impede the owner’s attempt to sell his team.
The Miami Herald’s Barry Jackson reports that Loria is expected to sell the Marlins this year, barring a change of heart.
Jackson says Loria is in active talks with four groups of potential buyers and has had talks with two others.
If all goes well, Loria would hope to close a sale of the team by the end of the year.
Loria has long been viewed as a controversial owner. He originally bought the Montreal Expos in 1999, sold them to MLB, and bought the Marlins in 2003. The Marlins won the World Series in his first year but quickly went downhill. They constantly had a low payroll and pocketed money from MLB’s revenue sharing program. Then after rebranding from the Florida Marlins to the Miami Marlins and moving into a new park, Loria stripped down his new team by trading away all the high-priced players the team bought the year before.
Loria no longer being an owner would be a good thing for MLB and could lead to the Marlins being a more competitive and respected franchise.
A previous report said Loria’s handshake agreement to sell the team was for $1.6 billion.
