GONE FISHIN’
MIAMI » The Miami Marlins told Major League Baseball they intend to sign an agreement to sell the team to a group that includes former Yankees star Derek Jeter, a person familiar with the negotiations said Friday.
Jeter would be a limited partner in the group led by venture capitalist Bruce Sherman, said the person, who confirmed the Marlins’ plans to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the team had not commented publicly.
The person said MLB was told owner Jeffrey Loria’s sale price will be about $1.2 billion to the group, which includes more than 10 entities.
Among them is Sherman, who would be the controlling owner, the person said. Sherman has spent much of his financial career in New York and has a home in Naples, Florida.
Jeter would be in charge of baseball operations, said the person, who added the Marlins told MLB they intended to sign the sale agreement Friday night.
The Sherman-Jeter group beat out two other groups that pursued the team in the final weeks of negotiations. One group was led by South Florida businessman Jorge Mas, and another included former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, who recently halted his pursuit of a deal.
Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred said a month ago that all three groups offered about the same amount of money, but there were legal and financing issues that slowed the process. Jeter had trouble raising money as he sought additional investors.
Loria, 76, bought the Marlins for $158.5 million in 2002 from John Henry, who was part of a group that bought the Boston Red Sox.
MLB owners meet next week in Chicago. A sale requires approval of at least 75 percent of the major league clubs, and the approval process could take three to six months.
Marlins president David Samson declined to comment Friday.
Jeter, 43, retired in 2014 after 20 seasons with Yankees. The shortstop and team captain played on five World Series championship teams — and on the Yankees club that lost to the Marlins in the 2003 World Series.
A 14-time All-Star, Jeter lives in Tampa and has long talked of his desire to own a franchise. He has no front office experience.
Sherman is known for his philanthropic work and retired in 2009 as chief executive officer of Naples-based Private Capital Management.
Marlins manager Don Mattingly, who also had a storied playing career with the Yankees, said he knew nothing about Jeter becoming a team owner, but predicted he would do well.
“Derek has been successful at everything he’s tried to do,” Mattingly said before Friday night’s game against the Colorado Rockies. “What Derek’s been able to do with his career, who he is as a person, there’s nothing in there that leads you to believe that he’s not going to be successful with really whatever he wants to do.”