Report: Commissioner knew about Marlins' intent to slash payroll

The current dismantling of the Miami Marlins following the sale of the team to a group led by Derek Jeter has not gone smoothly so far. Jeter faced plenty of jeers during a recent town hall with season-ticket holders, and even the loyal "Marlins Man" let the team know of his disappointment.

Amid the strong backlash from fans after multiple star players were traded away, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said Wednesday that his office was unaware of the Marlins' intentions to slash payroll to this extent.

It turns out that may not be accurate. When Jeter's ownership group was pursuing the franchise, they were required to tell other owners of their payroll-related plans, sources told Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. Owners were told the plan was to cut payroll from $115 million to a range between $85 million and $90 million.

When asked if he knew of Jeter's plans on Wednesday, Manfred replied, "No. We did not have player-specific plans from the Miami Marlins or any other team during the approval ownership process. Those are decisions the individual owners make. We do not approve operating decisions by any ownership, new owner or current owners. As a result, the answer is no."

However, that answer was disputed by one of Jackson's sources.

"Commissioner said (he) was not aware of (Jeter's) plan to slash payroll," the source said. "Absolutely not true. They request and receive the operating plan from all bidders."

Wherever the truth lies, the relationship in Miami between the franchise, its fans, and both current and former players is in need of some serious work.