"He would've paid $4.2 billion because it wasn't his money" - Former Marlins exec blasts Derek Jeter for actions as team CEO, calls him 'jackass'

The MLB universe erupted back in 2017 when New York Yankees legend Derek Jeter purchased the Miami Marlins for $1.2 billion. Jeter, along with a group of partners, including investor Bruce Sherman took over the Marlins from Jeffrey Loria, who owned the team from 2002 to 2017.

Following the purchase of the Miami Marlins, Derek Jeter was given a 4% stake in the franchise and was tasked with overseeing day-to-day operations as the team's CEO. The Hall of Fame shortstop was a key figure in the deal, as his presence in the purchasing group brought expectations and excitement.

Jeter ended up selling his stake in the Miami Marlins for $45 million in 2022 after the team failed to live up to the lofty expectations placed upon them. It was a polarizing tenure for Jeter, something that former Marlins executive David Samson spoke about on a recent episode of Foul Territory.

"Jeter would have paid $4.2 billion because it wasn't his money. And his plan was, hey, whatever David Samson did, I'm doing the opposite. He went full Costanza. And the problem with that is when you're wrong, then you look like a jackass."

Samson said that while helping negotiate the sale of the Marlins to the group featuring the former New York Yankees captain would have paid over $4 billion to get the club. The former executive claims that Jeter's ownership group went overboard in replacing much of the last group's presence.

David Samson said that Derek Jeter spent millions of dollars making changes to the Marlins stadium, including the removal of the team's home run statue. He believes that the aggressive overhaul eventually led to the team's lack of success.

A look at Derek Jeter's tenure as the CEO of the Miami Marlins

Following the purchase of the Miami Marlins in 2017, the club entered a rebuilding phase. The team opted to trade off a number of their biggest stars to rebuild one of the worst farm systems in the MLB. The likes of Giancarlo Stanton, J.T. Realmuto, and Christian Yelich were traded away as the team looked to improve from the ground up.

Some of the players that came to Miami in exchange for the aforementioned stars were 2022 NL Cy Young winner Sandy Alcantara, Sixto Sanchez, and Zac Gallen. Gallen, however, was ultimately traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks in exchange for Jazz Chisholm Jr.

During the four years that Jeter was the CEO of the Marlins, the club finished with a 218-327 record. Although his five-year contract with the club was set to expire in 2022, Jeter and the Marlins parted way before the expiration.