Sources have told Douglas Hanks of the Miami Herald on Wednesday that former Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush “have joined forces” in an attempt to buy the Marlins.
Originally attempting to make the acquisition on their own respectively, the two have teamed up in an attempt to acquire the MLB franchise, which has been up for sale by current owner Jeffrey Loria for the better part of the last five years.
Hanks added that their main competition for the Marlins is Wayne Rothbaum, a New York financier who is the manger of Quogue Capital.
Along with Bush’s former gubernatorial standing in the state, he currently lives in Coral Gables while Jeter owns a house in Tampa.
Jeter has expressed interest in owning an MLB franchise since retiring in 2014, telling Michael McCarthy of the Sporting News in February 2015 that it was his “ultimate goal.”
The Marlins were almost sold in February for $1.6 billion to the Kushner family, but they decided to back out after it was rumored that Loria would become President Donald Trump’s ambassador to France, per the Associated Press.
A little more than one month later, Jeter’s interest in the Marlins became known.
