Hill served as one of only two Black heads of baseball operations in MLB during his tenureGETTY IMAGES
The Marlins "are not retaining" President of Baseball Operations Michael Hill, whose "contract was set to expire" at the end of the season, according to Jordan McPherson of the MIAMI HERALD. Marlins CEO Derek Jeter’s "plan was to wait until after the playoffs to address his future." Hill, 49, "has been with the Marlins organization for 18 years" and has held his current title for the "past eight seasons." The club had a "winning record and reached the playoffs for the first time since 2003 one season after losing 105 games" (MIAMI HERALD, 10/18). The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal, who first reported Hill would not be back, noted he "served as one of only two Black heads of baseball operations in the majors" (TWITTER.com, 10/18).
RIGHT DIRECTION: The HERALD's McPherson earlier noted the '20 season "was a win" for the Marlins, but Jeter "knows it needs to be the first of many." Jeter had a "heavy hand in orchestrating" a rebuild, now in Year 3, but can they "build on the momentum of making the playoffs?" McPherson: "Is the fan base and the South Florida community finally buying into what Jeter and Co. have been selling?" Jeter said that they have been "receiving more inbound calls than they did the first two years and that fans 'are getting excited.'" Jeter: "Slowly but surely we’re starting to earn the trust. But we still have a long way to go. ... We didn’t come here to try to chase a championship or a playoff appearance. We want to be sustainable." McPherson noted the Marlins' business side "saw strides this year and worked with partners to maneuver around" fanless games. General Mills signed on this year and had "about 30 Cinnamon Toast Crunch characters sitting in left field." Budweiser, already a partner, sponsored SS Miguel Rojas’ "The Clubhouse" show on the team YouTube channel. Biscayne Bay Brewing "created a Marlins-centric lager." Jeter said the club's partnership department, led by VP & Head of Partnership Development & Strategy David Oxfeld, has been "very creative in terms of adding value to our partnerships" (MIAMI HERALD, 10/17).
