Marlins owner and chief executive Derek Jeter spoke with members of the greater Miami Chamber of Commerce Wednesday as he says he's eager to re-engage Miami with its baseball team.
"It has been a challenge for us getting people to the stadium for years and from everything I’ve heard the challenge is because there has not been a winning product on the field, so if there’s not a winning product on the field you have to make changes," Jeter told the crowd.
One of the first questions was about the recent departure of big name talent like Giancarlo Stanton, Christian Yelich, and Marcell Ozuna.
"There is a path to get to where we want to be and even though there has been some unpopular decisions, every decision we make is....making the Miami Marlins organization the best organization in baseball," Jeter said.
One man praised Jeter, saying he watched him while growing up.
"I can’t see you because the light shining, but every time somebody says they grew up watching me it makes me feel old," Jeter joked. "Just say you saw me play, you don’t have to say 'grew up.'"
Aside from the levity, Jeter was focused on convincing this business crowd the future for the Miami Marlins is bright.
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"We will have to have some patience and what I mean by patience, that does not mean that we are not going to be competitive, we will be competitive, every single person that takes the field in this organization is going to be playing like they’re playing to keep their jobs, that’s the attitude that I had when I played and that’s the attitude everyone needs to have throughout the organization," he said.
