Kim Ng (left) and Derek Jeter are both former Marlins now that she declined to exercise the option … [+]
The most valuable free agent in baseball this fall happens to be a woman.
Kim Ng, whose late-season deals helped the Miami Marlins reach the playoffs for the first time in a full season since their world championship season of 2003, will not be returning to her job as general manager. It was the first time a woman has held that post for any major-league team.
With her three-year contract ending, Ng, 54, declined her mutual option for 2024 after she and majority owner Bruce Sherman could not agree on the future direction of the front office. The Marlins had earlier exercised their end of the deal.
“Last week, Bruce and I discussed his plan to reshape the Baseball Operations department,” she told The Athletic. “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.”
The Fish finished the season with an 84-78 mark to reach the playoffs but fell to the Philadelphia Phillies in the best-of-three Wild Card Series, two games to none.
Still, just reaching the postseason was a surprise, not only because it followed two straight years of at least 93 losses but because the team survived an injury-riddled season from star pitcher Sandy Alcantara, the National League’s defending Cy Young Award winner. He is now sidelined by Tommy John elbow surgery and likely to miss all of 2024.
The Marlins did reach post-season play during the virus-shortened 2020 season after posting a 31-29 mark but were quickly eliminated in the expanded playoffs by the Atlanta Braves.
This year, the Marlins finished 20 games behind the front-running Braves, who won their sixth straight division crown en route to 104 wins, most in the major leagues.
Rookie manager Skip Schumaker has much to smile about after leading the underdog Miami Marlins into … [+]
Thanks to rookie manager Skip Schumaker and trades that added third baseman Jake Burger and first baseman Josh Bell, the Marlins had a strong second half that included a three-game sweep of the Braves in Miami. But ESPN reported that Sherman sought to hire a president of baseball operations who would have decision-making authority over Ng.
“This year was a great step forward for the organization, and I will miss working with Skip and his coaches as well as all of the dedicated staff in baseball operations and throughout the front office,” said Ng. “They are a very talented group and I wish them great success in the future.”
The 54-year-old North Jersey product previously worked for the Yankees, White Sox, and Dodgers, as well as Major League Baseball, where her boss was Hall of Fame manager Joe Torre. The Marlins hired her as general manager after the 2020 season.
Less than two years later, Marlins CEO Derek Jeter, also a Hall of Famer, abruptly resigned during spring training, citing disagreement with Sherman over the direction of the ballclub. It was a thinly-veiled reference to the club’s refusal to invest in the free-agent market.
The Marlins rank only 25th among the 30 teams in payroll, according to Cot’s Baseball Contracts, at $129,446,586.
In a statement released by the team, Sherman said, “We thank Kim for her contributions during her time with our organization and wish her and her family well.”
Ng is expected to receive offers from multiple clubs as they look forward to 2024. Several teams, notably the Boston Red Sox, Chicago White Sox and Milwaukee Brewers, are searching for experienced front-office executives. .
