As Marlins CEO, Jeter facing heavy criticism

MIAMI — Reacting to the Giancarlo Stanton trade, a Miami Marlins supporter who is a priest suggested in church that fans boycott the team’s games in protest.

Does Derek Jeter have a prayer?

Always a winner as captain of the New York Yankees, Jeter is now trying to revive the Marlins, and so far he has run into trouble.

Barely two months into the job, he has been faulted for his handling of the Stanton deal, and that’s not all. Critics contend Jeter is to blame for clumsy firings, delegating too much, and hanging in the background rather than accepting his role as the face and voice of the franchise.

And long-suffering Marlins fans wonder: If Jeter’s ownership group didn’t have enough money to pay Stanton, why did it buy the team?

Jeter thrived in New York, retaining an impeccable image amid the scrutiny of the world’s media capital. The theme at his retirement celebration was respect — the logo was “re2pect,” with Jeter’s jersey number replacing the S.

Now that he’s a novice baseball executive in Miami, the glare’s not as bright but the glow is gone.

“It’s definitely different,” former New York Mets general manager Steve Phillips said. “As a player, everyone had respect for Derek Jeter and kind of treated him with kid gloves. The new role has created a different role for him. We never saw Derek Jeter beat up like this in New York.”

Jeter