Dee Gordon hopes Marlins spare remaining stars, let them 'go win' elsewhere
Add Dee Gordon’s name to the list of people irked by the Miami Marlins latest fire sale.
The former Marlins second baseman was traded to the Seattle Mariners on Dec. 7 in the first major player personnel move of the Derek Jeter regime. Gordon’s trade officially marked the beginning of the new ownership group’s move to cut payroll to under $90 million by opening day. All-Star outfielders Giancarlo Stanton and Marcell Ozuna soon followed Gordon out of town in trades to the Yankees and Cardinals respectively, which cemented the group’s commitment to put a dent in the Marlins debts.
Gordon was admittedly disappointed to be traded, at least initially. Like many people, he felt the Marlins had the pieces to win now with a couple good additions. Now that he’s seen the direction the team is going though, he’s glad to be removed from the drama. Still, it frustrates him knowing that some former teammates who he’s watched develop into really good players could be stuck in a no-win situation.
The biggest name is Christian Yelich. He’s the only man remaining from baseball’s most dynamic and talented outfield now that Stanton and Ozuna have been traded. There have been indications the Marlins want to keep him but Gordon hopes they’ll give him and the Marlins other remaining stars a chance to flourish elsewhere.
“I think you have to let the dude go win,” Gordon said of Yelich specifically while speaking to the Sun Sentinel. “That’s what you did for the rest of us, let us have a chance to win. Let him go win. I feel bad for Yeli, because he’s my brother. I feel bad for J.T. I feel bad for [Justin Bour]. I feel bad for [Martin] Prado. I feel bad for those guys.”
While some understand the Marlins line of thinking from a business standpoint, few would say the team has handled their dealings in the best manner. That trend really started before Jeter’s group officially took over, when Jeter reportedly ordered outgoing president David Samson to fire four of his assistants. Those men being Hall of Famers Andre Dawson and Tony Perez, along with Marlins legends Jack McKeon and Jeff Conine.
On the trade front, there’s reportedly been little to no communication between the new ownership and the players directly impacted by their dealings. That’s left the outgoing players feeling a little salty. Stanton expressed his feelings during his Yankees unveiling at the Winter Meetings and again in an Instagram post. Now Gordon is weighing in too, and he’s not mincing his words.
“It’s terrible,” Gordon said. “It’s almost — I’m not even going to say almost. It’s embarrassing. It’s embarrassing. I don’t want to bash anyone, but what’s happened is not good.”
On one hand, Jeter believes he’s doing what’s best for business long term. Honestly though, he couldn’t have envisioned the cavalcade of criticism that’s come from every direction following every decision he’s been part of. He’s getting it from players he traded, the media and even Marlins fans during a town hall meeting. The harsh judgments aren’t likely to end anytime soon, and his only defense will be rebuilding Miami into a winner sooner than later.
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Mark Townsend is a writer for Yahoo Sports Have a tip? Email him at bigleaguestew@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
