One driving factor in Marlins’ decision with Ng. And a look at how her trades worked out

Owner Bruce Sherman’s concerns about a couple of areas of the Marlins organization triggered decisions that ultimately led to general manager Kim Ng’s departure this week, according to an industry source who’s in touch with the Marlins.

Sherman informed Ng that he was exercising her 2024 mutual option to remain GM, but Ng opted to leave after Sherman told her that a president of baseball operations would be hired, as ESPN reported and sources confirmed.

According to the source, ownership had concerns about the Marlins’ player development and performance in the amateur draft, with regard to position players.

Sherman ultimately preferred that someone else hire people to oversee those areas and also personally help oversee those areas.

The new president of baseball operations will need to fill multiple key roles. Adrian Lorenzo, the Marlins’ senior director of international operations, is leaving to pursue a career as an artist. The Marlins never replaced senior director of player personnel Billy Masse, who left the organization last offseason.

The expectation is that the new hire not only would reshape the front office but have direct involvement in the areas that Sherman apparently believes are shortcomings in the organization.

Sherman appears now to prefer the model used by almost one-third of MLB teams, a structure that includes a president/baseball operations and a general manager.

Sherman declined interview requests this week, and Ng has not responded to requests for comment from multiple Miami Herald reporters.

The Marlins’ inability to draft and develop position players has been damaging. That must be fixed in order for any team with a bottom-third payroll to sustain long-term success. The Marlins were 22nd in payroll at $105.4 million this season.

The Marlins’ lineup for Game 1 of the wild card playoff series against Philadelphia did not include a single position player that was drafted and developed by the Marlins except catcher Nick Fortes, who hit .204 this season. The Marlins’ opening day lineup in March didn’t include any position players drafted by the team or signed in the international market.

Ng had final say on all 40-man roster moves since Derek Jeter’s departure 20 months ago.

Among her most successful transactions: Trading pitching prospect Jake Eder for third baseman Jake Burger in July, acquiring National League batting champion Luis Arraez from the Twins last offseason and signing outfielder Jorge Soler shortly after Jeter’s departure.

Among the unsuccessful decisions: signing Johnny Cueto and Jean Segura in free agency last winter and acquiring Mets closer David Robertson before this summer’s trade deadline.

A source said that Ng preferred to sign third baseman Justin Turner but pivoted to Segura after Turner accepted a two-year, $22 million deal with the Red Sox in early January.

Turner hit .276, with 23 homers and 96 RBI, for the Red Sox this season. Segura hit .219 with three homers and 21 RBI in 85 games for the Marlins before he was included in the Josh Bell trade with Cleveland.

Ng also deserves credit, with Sherman, for hiring manager Skip Schumaker, who was universally praised by players for his communication skills, how he and his staff prepared hitters before facing opposing pitchers and the culture that he cultivated.

NG’S TRADES

In evaluating Ng’s trades, we omitted ones made when Jeter was still her boss, including the very good deals that snagged Jesus Luzardo (for Starling Marte) and Bryan De La Cruz (for Yimi Garcia). It’s impossible to say how much credit goes to Jeter or Ng or others on those.

Here’s a closer look at Ng’s trades during the past 12 months:

▪ Acquired infielder Xavier Edwards and pitcher JT Chargois from Tampa Bay for Marcus Johnson and Santiago Suarez.

The early results are promising.

Edwards was superb at Triple A Jacksonville this season (.351), then hit .275 in 75 at-bats with the Marlins. At worst, it looks like he can be become a helpful utility player at three infield positions and the outfield.

At best, he could someday emerge as a starter at second base if Arraez plays another position.

Chargois was competent out of the bullpen for Miami (3.61 ERA in 46 games).

Johnson had a 3.74 ERA in 24 starts at Single A for Tampa; Suarez was very good (2.29 ERA) in five appearances at Single A for the Rays.

Bottom line from the Marlins’ perspective on this trade: Looks good, but cannot be fully judged until we see what the two Tampa Bay pitchers become.

▪ Acquired pitcher Franklin Sanchez and a player to be named later from the Mets for pitchers Elieser Hernandez and Jeff Brigham.

Sanchez has been a disappointment, with a 7.64 ERA in A ball, while Hernandez didn’t pitch for the Mets this season because of shoulder and pectoral injuries. Brigham wasn’t very good for the underachieving Mets (5.26 ERA in 37 games).

Bottom line: A wash, considering Hernandez and Brigham needed to be removed to clear space on the Marlins’ 40-man roster last offseason.

▪ Acquired shortstop Jacob Amaya from the Dodgers for shortstop Miguel Rojas.

The Marlins — after signing Segura last winter — were looking to dump Rojas’ $3.5 million salary, and it was a justified move in retrospect, with Rojas struggling all year offensively for Los Angeles (.236, five homers, 31 RBI).

Though Joey Wendle had a poor year at the plate (.212), Jon Berti (.296) helped compensate for that — and the Marlins are in no worse shape than if they had kept Rojas.

Amaya, considered ready for the big leagues defensively, hit .252 (.345 on base) with 15 homers and 65 RBI in 128 games at Triple A Jacksonville. He could emerge as a big-league starting shortstop if he continues to improve offensively. But that’s a big “if.”

Bottom line: Incomplete, because nobody knows what Amaya will become. But Rojas’ decline this year means this cannot be considered a bad trade, either.

▪ Acquired second baseman Arraez from Minnesota for pitcher Pablo Lopez, infielder Jose Salas and outfielder Byron Chourio.

Though Arraez slumped for a time after the All-Star break and Lopez has been very good for the Twins, this deal has been a rousing success, because it gave the offense a badly-needed infusion of elite bat-to-ball skills.

While Arraez led the National League in batting average (.354) and had 203 hits, Lopez went 11-8 with a 3.66 ERA for the Twins and was great in two playoff wins this month, allowing one run in 12 2/3 innings.

Salas struggled (.190 in 93 games at Single A). And Chourio hit .262 in 24 games in rookie league.

Bottom line: Good trade for both teams.

▪ Acquired reliever A.J. Puk from Oakland for outfielder JJ Bleday: Though Puk lost the closer’s spot when he struggled after a strong start to the season, he settled in as decent bullpen pitcher, closing with a 7-5 record, 15 saves and a 3.97 ERA.

Bleday, conversely, hasn’t proven he’s a long-term big-league player, hitting .195 (.310 on base) with 10 homers and 27 RBI in 256 at-bats and 82 games for Oakland.

In 460 big-league at-bats, Bleday has hit .183. Bat speed has been the concern, as Don Mattingly suggested in his final year as Marlins manager.

Bottom line: Good trade for Miami.

▪ Acquired veteran reliever Matt Barnes from Boston for left-hander Richard Bleier.

Boston agreed to pay the Marlins $5.6 million to cover more than half the $10.25 million that Barnes is guaranteed.

Barnes didn’t work out; he had a 5.48 ERA in 20 appearances and then had season-ending hip surgery in July. He likely will be bought out in the weeks ahead for $2.75 million.

Bleier hasn’t been very good for Boston, with a 5.28 ERA in 27 appearances.

Bottom line: Made sense at the time, but the buyout price makes this a net negative for Miami.

▪ Acquired outfielder Jonathan Davis from Detroit for outfielder Brady Allen.

Davis gave the Marlins more than a month of solid work in center field while Jazz Chisholm Jr. missed time with an injury.

Davis hit .244 with 2 homers and 10 RBI in 34 games before undergoing season-ending knee surgery in July. Allen hit .253 with 19 homers and 68 RBI in 127 games this year, including two Single A teams and one Double A team.

Bottom line: Decent trade, provided Allen doesn’t become a big league starter.

▪ Acquired reliever Jorge Lopez from Minnesota for reliever Dylan Floro.

This didn’t work out for either team; Lopez struggled badly for Miami (9.26 ERA in 12 appearances) before being released. Floro wasn’t particularly good for the Twins (5.40 ERA in 13 games).

Bottom line: A bad trade for both teams.

▪ Acquired closer Robertson from the Mets for second baseman Marco Vargas and catcher Ronald Hernandez.

Robertson, generally effective for New York this season (2.05 ERA, 14 saves), was a disaster as a closer for the Marlins, but had a few good outings since moving to a set-up role and finished his Miami tenure with a 2-4 record, a 5.06 ERA and four saves in 22 games. He’s now eligible for free agency.

Bottom line: A bad trade, but one that should not have any serious long-term effects. And it was impossible for the Marlins to know that Robertson would unravel as a closer.

▪ Acquired first baseman Josh Bell from Cleveland for infield prospect Kahlil Watson and Segura.

Bell’s bat was a critical component in the Marlins making the playoffs. He hit .270 with 11 homers and 26 RBI in 53 games as a Marlin. He has a $16.5 million player option for next season and recently was noncommittal about whether he and agent Scott Boras will exercise that option.

Watson’s offensive struggles have continued in A ball for Cleveland; he hit .217 in the minors this season, including .233 in 23 games for Cleveland’s Single A team.

The Marlins smartly cajoled Cleveland to cover Segura’s $8.5 million salary next season, even though the Guardians released him.

Bottom line: Great trade for Miami.

▪ Acquired third baseman Burger from the White Sox for pitcher Eder.

This has been as good a trade as the Marlins have trade in awhile. Burger — who registered one of MLB’s lowest on base percentages in Chicago this season at .279 — hit .303 with a .355 on base average, nine homers and 28 RBI in 53 games with Miami.

Eder had an 11.42 ERA in five starts in Double A for the White Sox since the trade.

Manager Skip Schumaker believes Burger’s improvement with bat to ball skills is something that can be sustained.

“Talking with a couple guys in Chicago and a guy that had him last year, we knew his mind worked and we felt with [coaches Brant Brown and John Mabry], the way they game planned and attacked pitchers, you have to be a smart hitter to understand some of these game plans they put together,” Schumacher said.

“You see how hard he impacts the baseball, and Brant and the staff thought if he could game plan a little differently, make a few adjustments, it could really work and it’s a credit to Burger. He and Bell are the first guys that are here and attacking the game plan with the hitting guys, understanding what they’re trying to do to him and attacking maybe some of their own weaknesses they’re trying to get through. Jake has been amazing on the defensive side. it’s one of the better trades for me.”

And Burger is under team control through 2028. “To have him for a number of years is really exciting,” Schumaker said.

Bottom line: Very good trade for Miami.

▪ Acquired pitcher Ryan Weathers from San Diego for Garrett Cooper.

This trade was made primarily because the Marlins thought Cooper would be unhappy on the bench after Miami added Bell and Burger at the deadline.

But Weathers, despite good stuff, had never done anything to suggest he is particularly salvageable, at least until his strong start for the Marlins in the regular season finale. He has a 5.88 ERA in 46 big league appearances (including 31 starts) and bombed in his first two Marlins appearances (14.14 ERA) before throwing six innings of shutout ball against Pittsburgh.

Cooper, an impending free agent, hit .239 with four homers and 15 RBI in 41 games for the Padres.

With Sandy Alcantara out next season after Tommy John surgery, Weathers figures to compete with Trevor Rogers and perhaps a free agent addition for the fifth rotation spot (and potentially the fourth spot if Edward Cabrera struggles in spring training).

Bottom line: Incomplete. Depends entirely on whether Weathers can become a quality fifth starter or emergency starter for the Marlins.