Derek Jeter's town hall proved that season-ticket holders were not happy about the team's recent moves and they let the new Miami Marlins owner really have it on Tuesday.
The town hall resolved one thing, that the fans were upset to see the Marlins' best players Giancarlo Stanton, Marcell Ozuna, and Dee Gordon go when some believed the team was just some solid pitching away from being competitive, the Miami Herald reported.
Jeter told fans, though, that finances matter and the best way to build a winner in a financially-responsible way was through the minor-league system, the newspaper noted.
"It's easy to say, 'Go get more pitching and you're going to win.' There are no guarantees by grabbing pitching you are going to win," Jeter told the audience, per the Herald. "The only way to be sustainable over time is to build up the minor-league system. That is our focus. … I don't expect you to be happy.”
"This is an organization that is losing a significant amount of money. We didn't buy this team to continue losing money or more importantly, losing games. More of the same is not the answer," Jeter added.
According to the fan site Fish Stripes, Jeter appeared to not want to give the impressions that the changes were happening simply for the sake of making them. When one fan appeared supportive and told the town hall, "I stand with you Derek. Burn it down," Jeter leaped at a chance to clarify.
"This is not the same old same old, we are not tearing down a team to build it back up then tear it down again," Jeter told the audience, according to the website.
Sports Illustrated credited the Marlins with having the town hall meeting, knowing well that there would be angry fan sentiment with the new ownership's payroll-cutting measures.
"I can't sit here and say trust me," Jeter told the audience, per the Miami Herald. "You don't know me. You earn trust over time. I know how organizations are sustainable over time. I know you have been through a lot. I can't relate to it. It's going to be a tough road. It's going to take time and effort."
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