What Prompted Kim Ng’s Departure from the Miami Marlins?

Bruce Sherman Forced Marlins Manager Ng Out Despite Her Role In the Marlins Success

October 20, 2023 112 3 minutes readOpinion

Miami Marlins Manager Ng's Exit: A Historic MLB Turnaround — Michael Reaves / Getty Images via AFP

Good Luck
Rumor Has It…

Good Luck Finding A Replacement

In MLB news, the first female GM of a major men’s North American professional sports franchise was subtly nudged out of her position after her team, the Miami Marlins, enjoyed their most successful full season in 20 years.

Kim Ng made history when she was signed as the Miami Marlins manager back in November 2020. General Manager, that is. After putting her fingerprints on the team’s minor league systems and taking stock of what she inherited, it took three years for her vision to crystalize. This year, the Miami Marlins went to their first postseason in 20 years (excluding the truncated 2020 COVID-ravaged season).

https://t.co/fgk4Owqh1N. Ng engineered the Marlins’ 4th best record ever and first playoff appearance in 20 years. The only excuse leaked makes no sense. Neither does the decision.
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) October 19, 2023

It appeared to be perfect timing for Ng as her fourth-year option, one in which both parties had to agree for it to be executed, was staring her in the face. Ng had made several savvy moves during the season including landing NL batting champion Luis Arraez and bolstering the team’s depth at the trade deadline with Jake Burger and Josh Bell.

The Marlins manager also made Miami Marlins news when she overruled many in her front office who wanted to hire Matt Quatro instead of Ng’s choice, Skip Schumaker, to manage the team. Incidentally, Schumaker is up for Manager of the Year while Quatro guided the Kansas City Royals to a 56-win season in his first managerial MLB season.

Rumor Has It…

Certainly, it was a win-win for both the 54-year-old GM and the Marlins owner, Bruce Sherman. But MLB rumors began making the rounds when this happy marriage hit the rocks after Ng was informed that Sherman intended to hire a president of baseball operations who would become Ng’s boss and have the authority to call the shots, forcing the Marlins manager into a subordinate role.

pic.twitter.com/YfR5NAeQL7
— Miami Marlins (@Marlins) October 16, 2023

As you might imagine, that did not go over well with Ng and she declined to sign her option, which is precisely what Sherman hoped she would do. Why he wasn’t as enchanted with Ng as many others in the organization is still unknown.

However, Ng is one of the few remaining vestiges of the Derek Jeter era, who signed Ng when he was the team’s CEO in 2020. Jeter and Sherman did not part amicably and the lingering animosity Sherman has towards Jeter could have made Ng a casualty.

Kim Ng declined to interview for the Red Sox job because she is a legend. pic.twitter.com/c01cHG6tpH
— Jimmy Randazzo (@JimmyRandazzo) October 20, 2023

Ng took the high road on her way out of town by saying, “Last week Bruce and I discussed his plan to reshape the Baseball Operations department. In our discussions, it became apparent that we were not completely aligned on what that should look like and I felt it best to step away,” Ng told ESPN on Tuesday.

“I wish to express my sincere gratitude and appreciation to the Marlins family and its fans for my time in South Florida. This year was a great step forward for the organization, and I will miss working with Skip (manager Skip Schumaker) and his coaches as well as all of the dedicated staff in baseball operations and throughout the front office. They are a very talented group and I wish them great success in the future.”

What’s next for the Marlins manager remains to be seen, but it’s a pretty safe bet she will be in someone’s front office very soon.

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Author: Sin City Sniper

Busting bookmakers and taking their money is his greatest joy in life. He’s been around the block more than once, knows the players both on and off the field of battle, and uses his experience to serve the bookies a heaping plate of humble pie washed down by a warm glass of their salty tears. You can find him in any number of Vegas books, sniping weak lines and getting paid to do it.

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