Was New York Legend’s Departure From Miami Due To Lockout Stance?

February 28th is not the date that baseball executives resign from their positions without some deep, even drastic reasons. Baseball lifers, like New York Yankees Hall of Famer, Derek Jeter are anxiously anticipating the start of season, not dreading it. So, why did Derek Jeter walk away from his CEO position and 4% ownership stake from the Miami Marlins? Could it have been a result on the Marlins' small market ownership stance on the Major League Baseball lockout? Could Derek Jeter's player DNA gotten the best of him during the tense negotiations?

Jeter is an incredibly private person, so we may never know the answer. Some have speculated that Jeter and principle owner Bruce Sherman were not on the same page when it came to how much the team would spend on salary in 2022 and maybe beyond. That seems like a number that isn't determined in late February, so I don't buy it.

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"We had a vision five years ago to turn the Marlins franchise around, and as CEO, I have been proud to put my name and reputation on the line to make our plan a reality. That said, the vision for the future of the franchise is different than the one I signed up to lead. Now is the right time for me to step aside as a new season begins," Jeter said in his statement yesterday.

When Derek Jeter says that 31 days prior to the scheduled Opening Day of the 2022 Major League Baseball season is the "right time for me to step aside," that says something completely different to me. A more likely scenario was Jeter's privilege as an MLB owner to the details of the collective bargaining negotiations. Could it be that Derek Jeter and principle owner Bruce Sherman did not see eye to eye on the Marlins stance towards the MLB Players Association? Maybe old #2 was standing up for his brethren.

According to reports on espn.com, this came as a complete shock to people within the organization. The fact that Jeter's resignation happened on the very day the MLB owners set a deadline for the players to agree to a collective bargaining agreement or the season would be delayed, seems to be more than ironic. Small market baseball owners are trying to kill the competitive spirit of the game for profit. I don't believe Derek Jeter could be a part of it anymore. That's why I think the 'Captain' walked away.