On Oct. 3, Kim Ng stood behind the batting cage at Citizens Bank Park watching the Miami Marlins take batting practice before their playoff series against the Philadelphia Phillies. She seemed at the apex of success, chatting with longtime colleague and Hall of Famer Joe Torre and Marlins manager Skip Schumaker. There was much to celebrate.
For the first time since 2003, the Marlins were in the postseason following a 162-game season, and Ng's choices had propelled them to this moment. The players she had acquired had thrived, and Schumaker, the manager she hired, became a front-runner for NL Manager of the Year.
By any objective measure, 2023 was a strong year for the Marlins' franchise, and for Ng. But it was not enough, apparently, to convince Marlins owner Bruce Sherman to keep the executive who fostered that success. Instead, after Sherman informed her that he intends to bring somebody else in to run the baseball operations for his franchise, Ng declined her side of the mutual option, as well as a one-year extension of her contract.
Sherman's decision was met with dismay by some within the Miami organization. "There are a lot of unhappy people," one source said.