Bloomberg is reporting that former New York Yankees great Derek Jeter and former Florida Governor Jeb Bush have won the auction to buy the Miami Marlins, though other media outlets are disputing that the process is complete.
The report from Bloomberg relies on unnamed sources, but we do know that Jeter and Bush (whose brother, former president George W. Bush, was a Texas Rangers owner and whose father, former president George H.W. Bush, played first base for the Yale baseball team) combined their bid efforts in recent days. And while other outlets are warning that we are far from a done deal, by all indications the Jeter/Bush group is the last one standing, after a group led by investor Tagg Romney (son of Mitt Romney) and former MLB pitcher Tom Glavine reportedly dropped out of the proceedings, according to Forbes. But the statements are all over the place: Marlins President David Samson says that there are still multiple bidders for the team, according to the Miami Herald:
“As with most things published by Forbes regarding the Miami Marlins, this most recent story is also inaccurate,” Samson said. “There are inaccuracies contained in each paragraph.”
So take all of this with a huge grain of salt, as much of Bloomberg’s reporting isn’t actually at odds with Forbes: there is not a final signed agreement in place, and Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria will receive around a billion dollars for a team he purchased for $158 million. This is a story still in progress, but there’s way too much smoke for there to be no underlying fire.
RELATED STORIES: High-Profile Groups Bidding for Miami Marlins; Marlins Hold Off on Marlins Park Naming Rights Sale; Reports: Jeb Bush, Derek Jeter Interested in Miami Marlins; Miami Marlins Sale on Rocks Because of Politics; Joshua Kushner Behind Miami Marlins Bid: Report; Miami Marlins Sale in the Works; Marlins Reportedly Floated for $1.7 Billion