Report: Marlins preparing for fire sale to help facilitate sale of team
The sale of the Miami Marlins is all but guaranteed, according to president David Samson, though it appears owner Jeffrey Loria may have to conduct one last fire sale before any deal is finalized.
While at least two, and possibly three, bidding groups are still interested in buying the club, which is expected to go for around $1.2 billion, Loria reportedly wants to reduce the team's debt to make the purchase price more appealing. As such, the Marlins are preparing to blow up their roster, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today, and are willing to trade anyone from Giancarlo Stanton to Christian Yelich to cut liabilities for the club's future owners.
| Player (Team) | Years left on deal (inc. 2017) | Money owed |
|---|---|---|
| Giancarlo Stanton | 11 | $302.25M |
| Wei-Yin Chen* | 4 | $59.75M |
| Christian Yelich | 6 | $46.25M |
| Dee Gordon | 4 | $42.8M |
| Martin Prado | 3 | $34.25M |
| Edinson Volquez | 2 | $17.5M |
| Brad Ziegler | 2 | $12.5M |
*Chen has a $10-million player option for 2018, a $20-million player option for 2019, and a $22-million player option for 2020.
"It's tough on guys in here," Marlins catcher A.J. Ellis said. "You're living on edge. It's especially tough for a lot of these guys who have been lifelong Marlins. This is all they know."
Said to be carrying $500 million in debt and projected to lose another $62 million this year, according to investors who have seen their books, the Marlins' biggest liability, Giancarlo Stanton, got a full no-trade clause when he signed his 13-year, $325-million extension in 2014, though the 27-year-old slugger may be inclined to waive it if a fire sale goes down.
"I can't control what's going to happen," Stanton said Tuesday. "I can't control what people say. I can't control the rumors. I just come in here and play hard every day and try to win."
Less than two weeks ago, a bidding group led by MasTec chairman Jorge Mas was set to offer Loria $1.1 billion for the club, though the consortium fronted by Tagg Romney and Jeb Bush also remains in the hunt, and Derek Jeter's bidding group isn't out of the running, either, according to Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports.
"There are a lot of moving parts to this sale, no doubt, but it's happening," Samson said. "The timetable is the same. But it will be sold. It's in the process right now."