Derek Jeter is a 5x World Series champion – his iconic moments in pinstripes defined what it truly is to be a New York Yankee shortstop. But then, he stepped into the role of CEO for the Miami Marlins – a new challenge for Captain Clutch. It wasn’t easy for Jeter, because business and baseball aren’t the same. And while Jeter might have been a bliss in baseball – the business, not so much. He struggled for four years and then stepped down in 2022, but his work has raised eyebrows and criticisms from team insiders.

It’s no secret that the former president of the Marlins, David Samson, isn’t a Jeter fan. He had previously also bluntly attacked the shortstop for the mess he left the Miami Marlins in. According to Samson, Jeter changed everything and did the opposite to him. Moreover, the major issue was the financial decisions – according to David and other Marlins executives, Jeter spent money unnecessarily, like moving home run sculptures! Even recently, Samson didn’t leave the chance to bring this topic to light.

David Samson guns blazing on Derek Jeter

The Miami Marlins are in a bleak state right now, and David Samson blames Derek Jeter for the entire scenario. When Jeter came in as a CEO and a minority stakeholder, he brought in the promise of TV deals, payrolls, sponsorship growth, and making the team into a championship-winning team again. But not one of those goals was accomplished; rather, the team fell into a more precarious situation, leading many insiders to be angry. Ever since Jeter stepped down, David Samson has openly criticized the 5-time champion.

Recently, when Samson appeared on the Foul Territory podcast, he didn’t hold back. Responding to the question on the struggles of the Miami Marlins, he held Derek Jeter responsible. “I just thought what Jeter did was set the team up for failure. And that’s what happened. If you look at the way Jeter ran the team, he absolutely crushed them. And Jeter criticized what we did. But he was way worse than I ever was.” According to the former president, everything from Jeter’s player moves to team management left the Marlins in a tough spot.

Samson felt Jeter acted as though he knew what he was doing, but that wasn’t the case. Jeter may be Captain Clutch, but as a CEO, he never really materialized, leaving the team to suffer losses they still seem to bear.

Samson unhappy with Marlins’ new business model

David Samson is deeply connected to the Miami Marlins – he led them from 2002 to 2017 and is rooted in the team that was co-owned by his stepfather, Jeffrey Loria. During the podcast, Samson also highlighted that the team now seems to be shifting towards the Tampa Bay Rays business model. But why? Well, despite being a relatively smaller team, the Rays are known for their efficiency both on and off the field. This is what the Marlins are looking to replicate, and hence, they brought Peter Bendix into the team.

Bendix led the Rays for 12 years in various roles and is now the president of baseball operations for the Marlins. “They hired Peter [Bendix] because the new owner does not want to be Jeter-ized, he wants to be Tampa-sized, and he wants to be the Rays,” Samson mentioned, but for him, there is a problem – the team still doesn’t have great leadership or discipline. According to Samson, that needs a major lookout – this year, the Marlins lost 100 games and finished at the bottom.

Quite a downfall, given they reached the playoffs last year, don’t you think? Let us know your take in the comments below.