Jeter explains Bowers dismissal and why he’s ‘not happy’ with the Marlins’ on-field performance
Derek Jeter took responsibility for the move but didn’t dive into details.
The Miami Marlins on Thursday parted ways with president of business operations Chip Bowers, who Jeter hired just 14 months earlier.
Jeter simply called the move another one of the “tough decisions” he and the ownership group has had to make over the past 18 months and said that the move was made based on “overall business strategy” and was not impacted by the low attendance — even though the Marlins entered Friday’s three-game home series against the Braves averaging an MLB-worst 9,561 fans per home game.
“The one thing we’re focused on is everyone here in this organization has to be on the same page,” Jeter, the Marlins’ CEO and part-owner, said Friday. “Sometimes, you’re going to have to make tough decisions. I’ve told you that on the baseball side. We’ve made tough decisions. They’re difficult to make, but they’re necessary.
“This was a situation that was necessary.”
Bowers joined the Marlins organization in February 2018 after previously serving as the chief marketing officer for the Golden State Warriors. He reported directly to Jeter.
He played a role in executing the renovations to Marlins Park, but, according to a source, the Marlins had started re-branding and ballpark enhancements plans before his arrival.
With Bowers out, Adam Jones is now the Marlins’ chief revenue officer and Caroline O’Connor is the organization’s chief operating officer. Jeter said they have “the utmost trust of the ownership group and the front office staff.”
“There’s a lot that goes on behind the scenes,” Jeter said. “We have an ownership group that has a lot of high expectations and at times we move at a challenging pace. This has to do with our overall business strategy, accountability and we felt as though a change was needed in the leadership group.”
The Marlins are at an important financial juncture regarding, among other things, the renegotiation of the future television contract and stadium naming rights.
Jeter said the organization has had talks with various people and organizations regarding naming rights but does not want to rush the decision and that they “really want to make sure you have the right person.” The Marlins’ TV deal with Fox Sports, which pays the team between $15 million and $20 million per year, expires after the 2020 season.
“We have a lot of work to do,” Jeter said. “No one’s ever shied away from that.”
Jeter acknowledged the low attendance numbers that have continued to trickle in this year. He’s not pleased with them, but continued to say it’s a work in progress.
“We’re working hard on gaining the trust of our fan base and there are some positives,” Jeter said. “We’ve had some engagement from a lot of new fans this year, but we’d like to see that improve and that’s what we’re working hard to do.”
The Marlins’ performance on the field plays a role, too. The Marlins entered Friday with an MLB-worst 9-21 record. The starting pitching has been a highlight and other players have shown spurts of talent, but there hasn’t been enough production on a consistent level.
“I’m not happy,” Jeter said. “[President of baseball operations] Michael Hill’s not happy. Donnie [manager Don Mattingly] is not happy. I’m sure the players are not happy. I think everyone knows we’re better than this. You have to go out there and make adjustments. You have to perform. I said this when we were in spring training: We all need to individually and collectively - there shouldn’t be a person in this building that’s happy about our play.”
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