Derek Jeter warned of “unpopular decisions” ahead when he bought the Marlins. Slashing payroll could be the first.
According to a Major League Baseball source, Jeter and fellow owner Bruce Sherman proposed cutting the team’s 2018 payroll to around $90 million — down from last season’s franchise-record $115 million — as part of the operating plan they submitted to league owners during the approval process.
The decision could spell the end of Giancarlo Stanton’s days crushing home runs in a Marlins uniform. Stanton is scheduled to make $25 million next season. By trading Stanton, who led the majors with 59 home runs, new ownership could shed the $295 million owned to him over the remainder of his contract.