Is Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria looking to sell the team?

Is Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria looking to sell the team? He’s reportedly open to the idea, which means something and nothing at the same time.

Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria is reportedly open to the idea of entertaining offers to sell the team, sources say. No transactions are in sight, but it’s a step.

With regards to what this means, I see it this way: I have friends who put their house on the market every so often. They do it to see if there’s any interest, and while they’re not actually looking to sell or to move, they see it as a good way to determine interest levels and see if they get lucky.

Loria isn’t pursuing offers because none have been submitted, nor has he announced a desire to sell the team. By expressing openness to the idea, Loria opens the door to offers.

The Miami Herald reports that this news came about Thursday after Forbes Magazine indicated insiders were aware that Loria “had let people know the team and use of its ballpark can be purchased for $1.7 billion.”

Marlins president David Samson had nothing to say about the report during the team’s annual charity event, but he did say people are always looking to buy a professional baseball team. The chatter is omnipresent, and at this time there is no more chatter than normal. “There’s a lot of people who want to own an MLB team around the country. Over 17 years, you heard from a lot of people. But nothing different than normal.”

Like those friends of mine, it looks like Loria is waiting to see if someone bites, in which case he’ll start the process to open negotiations. But at this point Loria doesn’t even have a firm hired to help him with the process.

The Marlins finished the 2016 season with a record of 79-82, putting them just over 15 games behind the Washington Nationals in the NL East.