Report: Ex-Diamondbacks GM Dave Stewart joins Romney's bid for Marlins

Dave Stewart, the one-time All-Star pitcher and former Arizona Diamondbacks general manager who was fired from that post last October, has reportedly joined Tagg Romney's group that's currently bidding for ownership of the Miami Marlins, sources told Bob Nightengale of USA Today.

According to Nightengale, Stewart would run the Marlins' baseball operations department if the Romney group succeeds in buying the club from current owner Jeffrey Loria.

Stewart is also believed to have been pursuing Marlins ownership with his own group of investors, per Nightengale, before he reportedly chose to abandon that quest and join forces with Romney.

The Romney ownership bid - led by Tagg Romney, son of former Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, and also counts Hall of Famer Tom Glavine among its investors - appears to have emerged as the front-runner to purchase the club, moving ahead of a group fronted by one-time Florida governor Jeb Bush and former New York Yankees legend Derek Jeter. Both the Bush-Jeter and Romney-Glavine-Stewart groups have reportedly made bids exceeding $1.3 billion in value, which are currently being assessed by the league.

Report: Romney's group has submitted higher bid than Bush-Jeter for Marlins

The 60-year-old Stewart was hired as Arizona's general manager in 2014 after spending several years as an assistant GM with multiple clubs. The D-Backs never made the playoffs during his time at the helm, and he was heavily criticized for several of his moves - including last December's lopsided blockbuster trade of three top young prospects for Shelby Miller - before being fired at the end of last season.

Before embarking on his front-office venture, Stewart amassed a 168-129 record over his 16-year career as a pitcher, during which he also won three World Series championships, the 1989 World Series MVP, and a pair of ALCS MVP trophies in 1990 and '93.