來源:
http://www.miamiherald.com/sports/mlb/miami-marlins/article166767852.html
Loria agrees to sell Miami Marlins to Sherman and Jeter, source says
By Barry Jackson of Miami Herald
Miami Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria has agreed to sell the franchise for $1.2
billion to a group led by New York businessman Bruce Sherman and former New
York Yankees star Derek Jeter, and Major League Baseball is expected to receive
the written agreement on Friday, according to a New York based MLB source.
Sherman, a wealthy venture capitalist who has a home in New York and is
building a home in South Florida, will be the "control person," similar to a
managing general partner.
But Jeter, the former New York Yankees star shortstop, will run the business
and baseball sides of the organization, the source said.
The Sherman/Jeter group has about 16 investors and they have raised the money
to purchase the team after months of seeking investors to meet Loria's asking
price, the source said.
A purchase agreement with the Sherman/Jeter group, which has been worked on for
months, is expected to be completed on Friday and submitted to MLB offices in
New York.
Sherman, a Marlins fan, is known for his philanthropic work and previously was
the chairman and chief investment officer of Naples-based Private Capital
Management.
Sherman increased his investment in the Marlins bid after wealthy Chicago
businessman Richard Chaifetz backed out of the deal.
Jeter is believed to be contributing only $25 million of his own money but has
a great relationship with Sherman, who will allow Jeter to essentially run the
organization.
MLB officials are expected to discuss the sale, but not vote on it, in owners
meetings in Chicago next week. Sherman and possibly Jeter are expected to meet
with the ownership committee prior for a full vote of owners, which is the
final required step for the sale's completion.
The vote could be weeks away, with closing expected the first week of October.
Miami businessman Jorge Mas also pursued the team and met with Marlins
officials this week but did not match the $1.2 billion bid of the Sherman and
Jeter group.
New York businessman Wayne Rothbaum, who led a competing group that included
former Florida Governor Jeb Bush, also bid for the Marlins, before stopping his
pursuit earlier this week.
Loria has owned the team since 2002 and won a World Series in 2003, but the
Marlins haven't made the playoffs since then, the second-longest postseason
drought in Major League Baseball behind the Seattle Mariners.
The Marlins are expected to lose more than $60 million this season, according
to a source who has seen their books, in part because their revenues are among
the lowest in MLB. Their TV contracts pays the lowest of any team in MLB, and
Marlins attendance traditionally ranks among the bottom five in MLB.
Loria decided to sell the team for personal reasons and had been seeking a
buyer for months.
Marlins president David Samson on Friday declined to comment about where the
sales process stood.