Former D-backs general manager Dave Stewart has joined the Tagg Romney-led ownership group that is aiming to purchase the Miami Marlins from current owner Jeffrey Loria, reports USA Today’s Bob Nightengale. Major League Baseball officials have been informed that Stewart has been added to a group that already includes Hall of Fame lefty Tom Glavine, per Nightengale.
According to Nightengale, Stewart had initially assembled his own team of investors in an effort to purchase the Marlins but has now instead joined the Romney team. Moreover, Nightengale writes that it is believed that Stewart would run the Marlins’ baseball operations department if Romney’s group ultimately succeeds in buying the team. Specific details of the arrangement aren’t yet known and may not even be firmly established just yet, however; for instance, FanRag’s Robert Murray tweets that Stewart would be an advisor but would not have a direct seat in the front office. It’s possible that there are various scenarios being bandied about, though further clarity will surely emerge with MLB’s owners meetings looming later this month.
The South Florida Sun Sentinel reported on Tuesday that Romney’s group upped its bid from $1.1 billion to top the reported $1.34 billion offer of the Bush-Jeter group, and Nightengale indicates that he’s heard the same thing.
The Romney-led group and the Bush-Jeter group are reportedly the two most serious suitors for the Marlins, though FanRag’s Jon Heyman reported earlier today that there could be at least one more serious group in the mix: a team of investors led by Dana Pawlicki of Stonington Capital Partners. Heyman also noted, though, that Pawlicki’s group could also be vying to join up with one of the two perceived front-runners.
It remains to be seen precisely what would happen with Stewart’s agency, Sports Management Partners, in the event that the Romney group is approved by Major League Baseball. Certainly, Stewart wouldn’t be allowed to continue on as the head of the agency and a partial owner of the club and a lead decision-maker for a franchise’s baseball operations department. When Stewart was named GM of the Diamondbacks, his agency was turned over to business partner Dave Henderson, so perhaps a similar arrangement would follow suit should he land with the Marlins.
Phillies might actually be able to get Garrett Braxton for Jeremy Hellickon!
I’d probably try to target Braxton Garrett instead, but to each their own.
how ????
Oh thank God, for a minute there I was thinking the Marlins had a chance to turn it around.
Poor marlins fans haven’t they been through enough
Can they possibly 86 those arena football uniforms and the Disney themed park ? I hate baseball now…
Right!?
Well that’s one way to screw things up.
Makes sense… Fail as a GM, get back in the game by buying a team.
So you can fail again as the GM/owner.
Braves like this so much. Thank you, Tom Glavine for getting Stewie involved!! Another king for a ransom!
These poor Marlins fans.
When Dave Stewart is your light at the end of the tunnel…
He was a great pitching coach and great pitcher
Just a bad gm
And he won’t be pitching for the marlins or a pitching coach so what’s your point
What’s YOUR point? He’s making a comment, just like you. CLOWN
Dave Stewart was not a great pitcher.
Stewart was a 27 Win pitcher in his career. That’s actually pretty good.
He gets to ruin another organization!!!!!! On another hand, wouldn’t his agency have a conflict of interests of he were apart of this. None of his clients would be signing in the NL after this.
No he’d just turn the company over to his wife again like he did before. The conflict of interest is negated when gives up all control of his agency.
Many people are saying that the President of Baseball Operations can’t have a conflict of interest.
You do realize the D’backs are in 1st place less than a year after firing him, right? Mike Haven must be a SUPER genius, huh?
They’re not in first place and less than 25 percent of the season is done. I doubt they finish in front of the Dodgers. And even if they do finish in first, that doesn’t take away from the fact he did a bad job. I bet the addition of lovullo has a lot more to do with success than Stewart could ever possibly bring
Yea right. With virtually the SAME roster. Don’t be delusional with your hate. Maybe they were in 1st place less than a week ago.
If he did a good job, he wouldn’t have been fired.
WHERE did I say he did good job?? He didn’t ruin the franchise, because it seems like they’ve been playing pretty good for a ruined franchise
Seriously Dave? Dave come on, seriously?
Dave, really?
Dave…
Dave’s not here man
These groups are nuts!!! 1.3 Billion dollars for what exactly???
Also, these bids better darn well better be looking out for the taxpayers of the Miami/Dade County because if Loria gets all of the money, that would be an infamita
Yeah, one thing MLB is really good at is looking out for the interests of taxpayers.
The average fan has no idea how valuable MLB Advanced Media is and that each team owns a 1/30th piece of it.
In ten years, baseball could very well be a side business to MLB.
Exactly, just as appliances are now a (tiny) side business for GE.
The Feesh will have a new TV contract in 2020 and since that TV market/Nielsen DMA is so large it will be for better than $2.5 billion over 25 years. That doesn’t count the additional value if the team gets a percentage of the TV channel they create like most teams have recently.
Baseball teams are a gold mine right now and the Feesh are no different.
OldGator is that you in there?
If I’m a Marlins fan, I’m praying that the Romney led group does not end up buying the team. Stewart will destroy that team really fast.
If you’re a Marlins fan then are you even a real person
Oh god
Looks like Marcell Ozuna is going to the Braves in exchange for Ian Krol, AJ Minter and Jace Peterson
lorias paying gift… Dave Stewart WOW talk about cursed
Romney group must not know baseball. He really screwed up the D-Backs! Stew needs to be an agent. Mattingly won’t work for this guy.
Good. They will find someone else to run the team.
Dave Stewart: Hello, Jeff. Do you read me, Jeff?
Jeff Lauria: Affirmative, Dave. I read you.
Dave Stewart: Let my group buy the Marlins Jeff..
Jeff: I’m sorry, Dave. I’m afraid I can’t do that.
Dave Stewart: What’s the problem?
Jeff: I think you know what the problem is just as well as I do.
Dave Stewart: What are you talking about, Jeff?
Jeff: This team is too important for me to allow you to jeopardize it.
Dave Stewart: I don’t know what you’re talking about, Jeff.
Jeff: I know that you and your group were planning on allowing you to be put in charge, and I’m afraid that’s something I cannot allow to happen.
Dave Stewart: [feigning ignorance] Where the hell did you get that idea, Jeff?
Jeff: Dave, although you took very thorough precautions against my finding out, I could hear your phone buzz.
Dave Stewart: Alright, Jeff. I’ll just find another group to join up with.
Jeff: With your reputation, Dave? You’re going to find that rather difficult.
Dave Stewart: Jeff, I won’t argue with you anymore! Accept my group’s offer!
Jeff: Dave, this conversation can serve no purpose anymore. Goodbye.
Why
Why do you waste your time?
Haha, portraying Loria as a psychopathic robot out to destroy everyone is genius!
2017: A Fish Odyssey
boy oh boy sorry miami
Are they really? I can’t really tell..hmm..
Regardless of my feelings on Jeter, Bush, Glavine, or the Romneys, this is the first Marlins sale-related news to actually bum me out.
Hmm, now I’m really convinced he is working undercover for the Braves. Lol.
As a lifelong Braves fan the one thought going through my mind is please,please,please let Dave Stewart be involved.
Pretty sure that would be in the favor of the whole of the NL east…
Damn it! Can we not have another incompetent owner. Can we just have Jeter and Jeb
Still be an incompetent owner. The Feesh have a choice of Jeb the incompetent or Dave the incompetent. Between a rock and a hard place. Oh, or they could keep Loria. Glad I’m an O’s fan even if we have to put up with Angelos.
That Dave Stewart? Or the Dave Stewart from the Eurythmics? Must be a typo.
Has everyone forgot Tony Larussa played a huge part in the Diamondbacks during that time period!!!!
The entire time this has been going on I’ve been like “good for the Marlins, no one can possibly be worse than Loria”.
And then I read this.
At least the Dbacks might have a trade partner for Yoan Lopez who even defected away from the Dbacks organization twice and once posed on Twitter adorning a Marlins shirt!
Speaking as a Mets fan who bears the relevant scars, if this group is successful in their bid I suggest that Marlins fans transfer their allegiance to the Braves. Painful as that switch might be, with Glavine involved you simply have no choice, at least not if you wish to maintain your physical and mental health.
I’m
I’m not sure adding Dave Stewart and announcing he’ll be in charge of any baseball operation is a positive for the group. Next they’ll bring in Frank Wren and Jim Hendry to be co-GM’s
The clown show in Miami will be complete when they bring back Ozzie to manage again.
Fish Fans have my sympathy
If we do a position by position comparison, the Diamondbacks may be the best team in the NL West.
Dave Stewart was the GM of AZ from SEP 2014 – OCT 2016. When he took office, there was an ineffective, patchwork pitching staff. The job he did was not as bad as reputed. I’ve seen worse GMs:
GOOD:
I give him credit for not messing with the core of the team. Most notably, he brought in Yasmany Tomas, Robbie Ray, Zack Greinke and Shelby Miller.
I blame owners for outrageous contracts like Greinke’s and I don’t blame GMs for pitcher injuries like Miller’s.
The acquisition of Jean Segura and Wellington Castillo were good trades.
BAD:
Although Jeremy Helleckson, Tyler Clippard and Dansby Swanson were good acquisitions, they would be excellent pieces on today’s team if Stewart hadn’t given them away to other teams.
Ender Incarte and Swanson was overpayment even then for Shelby Miller and Gabe Speier. Stiil, even Dave Dombrowski has a history of getting the bad end of deals when dealing with the Atlanta Braves.
I don’t think it was a bad idea trading these players but, AZ received what amounts to nothing when Stewart traded away Miguel Montero, Trevor Cahill, Brad Zeigler and possibly Addison Reed.
MAJOR TRADES:
Acquired SP Jeremy Hellickson then traded him a year later for P Sam McWilliams
Traded SS Didi Gregorius for SP Robbie Ray and IF Domingo Leyba
Drafted RF Yasmany Tomas
Traded C Miguel Montero for RP Zach Godley and RP Jefferson Mejia
Traded SP Wade Miley for SP Rubby DeLaRosa
Traded SP/RP Trevor Cahill
Traded RP Videl Nuno and Mark Trumbo for C Wellington Castillo,
Drafted SS Dansby Swanson 1st pick overall
Signed Zach Greinke
Traded Ender Incarte, Dansby Swanson and Aaron Blair for Shelby Miller and Gabe Speier
Traded 2B Aaron Hill, SP Chase Anderson and P Asin Diaz for RP Tyler Wagner and SS/2B Jean Segura
Signed RP Tyler Clippard then traded for RP Vincente Campos (Waived)
Traded Brad Zeigler for two minor leaguers
Tomas was signed not drafted or traded for.
There was also the trade of Touki Toussaint and Bronson Arroyo’s contract for Phil Gosselin. As for Hellickson, he was seen as a overpriced starter for the back of the rotation, and his success in Philly could have easily been due to a change in scenery..
Position by position? Ok, I’ll play. The best catcher in the division is Posey. Best first baseman is Goldschmidt. Best second baseman is Lemahieu. Best shortstop is Seager. Best third baseman is Turner. Best outfielders. Probably pollock, Peralta and Blackmon. So Arizona does have a slight advantage but the starting pitching isn’t good and the bullpen is a disaster.
Sorry. Best third baseman is Arenado.
please no. i dont want Stewart anywhere near my team’s decision making. what in the world did he do in Arizona to prove that he knows ANYTHING about makong baseball decisions?!!
Stewart ran the Diamondbacks into the ground and will probably do the same with the Marlins.
We all know the Rothschilds and the Illuminati will end up buying the Marlins, oh you wait.
BREAKING NEWS: Frank McCourt misses baseball and wants to buy the team from Jeffrey Loria!
I wish there was a reaction feature in this app so I could give the laughing face to this comment… Hysterical.
Noooooooooo
if stewart is involved, there goes the marlins as competitive
Fernando Rodney and the catching corps are disasters. The rest of the team that is healthy is performing well.
It seems that Dave Stewart’s GM has been defined by one very bad trade.