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Yankees players, manager support Jeter's bid for Marlins

Jim McIsaac / Getty Images Sport / Getty

Associating Derek Jeter with any team other than the New York Yankees seems sacrilegious, but with the bid Jeter is part of reportedly the favorite to land the Miami Marlins, it might become permanent.

The now-42-year-old Jeter - who stepped away from baseball in 2014 after 20 years with the Yankees - has the full support of several former teammates in his pursuit of the Marlins and re-emergence into the game.

"He'll do whatever it takes to be successful," Brett Gardner - Jeter's teammate for seven years - said Tuesday, according to Bryan Hoch of MLB.com.

"I think that as a player who had so much success in the game, he knows a lot more about the inside of the clubhouse as far as life as a player. I'm sure he'll surround himself with the right people from the business side of things. No matter what he's involved in, I have no doubt that he'll be successful."

Left-hander C.C. Sabathia offered up a more direct assessment of Jeter's business venture.

"He's old. This is what he wants to do," Sabathia said. "He's retired. He's done playing. He's playing golf every day, he's doing this thing with 'The Players' Tribune.' I don't think it'll be hard at all. This is something that he wanted to do. It's good for him. I think he'll be good at it.

"I think Jeet has a lot to offer," Sabathia said. "I think it's great for the sport."

The Yankees will hold "Derek Jeter Day" on May 14 at Yankee Stadium where his No. 2 will be retired and he'll be presented with a Monument Park plaque. Jeter's role with the Marlins should be clear by then, and while he's likely to be representing a new team, manager Joe Girardi said his legacy won't be forgotten in New York.

"I didn't really see the Yankees coming up for sale anytime soon," Girardi said. "He took the first opportunity, but I think he'll always be considered a Yankee."

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