Kim Ng Was Wronged by the Miami Marlins

Just when you thought things were going well for the Miami Marlins, they once again couldn’t be content with letting things sit. General Manager Kim Ng declined her option in her contract and is now no longer with the organization. She reportedly left because owner Bruce Sherman wanted to hire a president of baseball operations to oversee Ng. This was despite crafting a playoff team during a full season for the first time in over 20 years. Just like in their franchise history, the Marlins can’t seem to get out of their own way.

Marlins Fans Can Never Have Nice Things for Long

The Marlins have a history of destroying good things. Chaos and dysfunction seem to still reign in this organization. When Miami won the World Series in 1997 and 2003, both teams were quickly dismantled in a fire sale. After 2003, the Marlins wouldn’t make it back to the postseason in a full year and finished above .500 just four times. Had it not been for the COVID-19 shortened season, odds are Miami’s playoff drought would be even longer. Kim Ng leaving the organization is just the latest example of the Marlins ruining a good thing.

NG Was Making All the Right Moves

Kim Ng became the first woman to run a baseball team in 2021. While the Marlins would finish well below .500 in her first two seasons on the job, she made a lot of great moves to set Miami up for the success of 2023. Ng’s hiring of manager Skip Schumaker has paid dividends right away for the franchise. He was a big reason why they went to the postseason in 2023. Her free agent signing Jorge Soler ended up paying dividends immediately. Ng also traded rental Starling Marte for Jesus Luzardo who became a big part of the rotation this season. However, her signature move was trading Pablo Lopez to the Minnesota Twins for AL batting champion Luis Arraez. The arrival of Arraez completely changed the identity of the Marlins offense.

This season, the Marlins found themselves in a rare position as a buyer at the trade deadline. Ng was able to acquire Jake Burger and Josh Bell who were huge for the Marlins down the stretch. Acquiring those two players ultimately helped the team reach the postseason. Burger also has five more years of team control left and figures to be a big part of Miami’s future.  

Bruce Sherman Can’t Stay Out of the Way

Despite Ng ending the Marlins full-season playoff drought, owner Bruce Sherman wanted to hire a president of operations essentially demoting her. Miami was also fine with her being a lame-duck GM, which is never a good idea. While Miami wanted her to return, Ng opted out of her contract and left the organization.

Decisions Like This Are Why the Marlins Consistently Flounder

Poor decisions like this are why the Marlins have never been a consistently successful team. It’s also why general interest in the team is very minimal in South Florida. Letting Kim Ng get away now is a part of the long list of mistakes by the franchise that continuously sets them back. While the future was looking bright for the Marlins under Kim Ng, it has now become a little more uncertain. As it always goes with this franchise, when things are going well and looking up, the Marlins just can’t get out of their own way.

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