The competition to buy the Miami Marlins is shaping up as a battle of former All-Stars.
The latest to join the sweepstakes is four-time 20-game winner Dave Stewart, who has signed on with the group headed by Tagg Romney, USA Today reported.
The Romney group, which also includes Hall of Famer Tom Glavine, can claim a wealth of pitching expertise in vying for a team whose starting rotation currently ranks 14th in ERA (4.98) and last in wins (six) in the National League.
The group headed by the son of former presidential candidate Mitt Romney is one of two frontrunners to purchase the Marlins from Jeffrey Loria, along with the partnership headed by long-time New York Yankees captain Derek Jeter and former Florida governor Jeb Bush.
Stewart, 60, won 168 games and had a 4.06 ERA during a 16-year career with several teams, winning the World Series with three of them. He was the World Series MVP in 1989, the first of four consecutive years in which he won 20 or more games for the Oakland A's.
The USA Today report indicated that Stewart could take over baseball operations if the Romney group succeeds in its ownership bid.
Stewart has extensive experience in front-office management, most recently as the general manager of the Arizona Diamondbacks. He was fired last October after only two seasons in that role after the Diamondbacks finished 69-93 in 2016 despite beefing up their starting pitching with the addition of former AL Cy Young Award winner Zack Greinke and right-hander Shelby Miller.
If the Romney group gains control of the Marlins, Stewart would join Magic Johnson of the Los Angeles Lakers as the only African-Americans to have partial ownership of an MLB franchise.
Meanwhile, Bush said this week during a speaking engagement in Los Angeles that Jeter would head baseball operations if his group is successful.
MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred issued a statement this week confirming that "two very strong groups" are in competition to buy the club. A source told the Sun Sentinel that the Romney group has a slightly higher bid than the $1.3 billion figure submitted by the Jeter/Bush group.
The process of approving a sale of teams is cumbersome and it is uncertain if a bid will be accepted before MLB owners are scheduled to meet May 17-18 in New York.
Meanwhile, another potential suitor surfaced this week in a report by the New York Post that billionaire Charles Dean Metropoulos was interested in bidding for the team. The Palm Beach resident is known for buying and turning around struggling companies, most recently Hostess Brands, maker of Twinkies.
