Report: Marlins wanted to restructure Kim Ng's place in hierarchy

Kim Ng Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports

Report: Marlins brass wanted to restructure Kim Ng's place in team hierarchy

By Victor Barbosa | Last updated 10/16/23

The Miami Marlins wanted to bring in a new No. 1 atop the team hierarchy, relegating outgoing general manager Kim Ng to second in command, according to ESPN's Jeff Passan.

The Marlins and Ng parted ways on Monday morning, after Miami reportedly offered the 54-year-old a contract extension beyond the 2024 mutual option that she declined.

The Miami Marlins wanted to hire a president of baseball operations over general manager Kim Ng, leading to her departure from the organization, sources told ESPN.

When reached, Ng declined comment. But sources said she would've been the No. 2 after constructing a playoff team.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) October 16, 2023

Soon after Ng's departure was reported, Tyler Kepner of The Athletic posted to X, formerly known as Twitter, that he talked with the now former GM about the decision.

Just spoke with Kim Ng, who stepped down as Marlins GM this morning. She said: “Last week, Bruce (Sherman) and I discussed his plan to reshape the Baseball Operations department. In our discussions, it became apparent that we were not completely aligned… 1/3
— Tyler Kepner (@TylerKepner) October 16, 2023

…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. They are a very talented group and I wish them great success in the future.” 3/3
— Tyler Kepner (@TylerKepner) October 16, 2023

The reported desire of Marlins brass to have a new leader work over Ng is surprising given how big of a positive turnaround the organization has seen since she was hired in November 2020. Ng became the first woman to hold the GM post of a men's team in any of the four major North American sports and was the first Asian-American GM in MLB history as well.

Miami won just 63 games in 2018 and 57 in 2019 before making the postseason during the pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign. Under Ng, the Marlins went 67-95 in 2021 and saw a slight improvement to 69-93 in 2022, before making the playoffs with an 84-78 mark in 2023.

Miami was swept by the Philadelphia Phillies in the NL wild-card round, but the team was arguably the biggest surprise in the league this year. With the stunning postseason berth, Skip Schumaker (hired by Ng in October 2022) is one of the top contenders for the NL Manager of the Year Award.

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