Jeb Bush out of race to purchase Miami Marlins… again

Jeb Bush just can’t decide if he wants to own a Major League Baseball team. The former Florida Governor is part of the group that has backed out of negotiations.

Stop me if you’ve heard this before. Jeb Bush is no longer interested in purchasing the Miami Marlins. He has withdrawn his bid from consideration. This is the second time that Bush has withdrawn himself from the bidding.

In fact,  the entire Rothbaum-Bush supergroup has withdrawn. Once considered the favorites to win the team, the race is now down to only two groups.

Groups led by Jorge Mas and Derek Jeter remain interested in purchasing the team, but no deal is considered eminent. The Miami Marlins can’t seem to get out of their own way.

It’s easy to use Jeffery Loria as a punching bag, bordering on lazy, blame-game tactics to say he is at fault for the saga that the sale has become. But where else can you conceivably point a finger?

With Loria asking for an absurd amount of money, and clearly favoring the group led by Derek Jeter, it’s kept anything progressing. Jorge Mas has reportedly put in a bid for $1.17 billion, but wants an exclusive negotiating window. No dice.

Meanwhile, Derek Jeter continues to bank on his baseball goodwill. He has met the asking price of $1.3 billion, but appears to be well short of that number in actual funds.

More from Marlin Maniac

• Miami Marlins news: Another target gone
• Why didn’t the Miami Marlins sign JDM?
• Miami Marlins rejected Boston‘s trade offer
• Miami Marlins are pursuing Michael Conforto
• Miami Marlins need to spend to win

If there is anything to be gleaned from the Rothbaum-Bush bid dropping out, it’s that a sale is nowhere near getting done. A group that was once headlined by Tagg Romney, he dropped out a month ago. The group fell apart quickly after that.

It could be a while before a sale takes place

MLB Owners and the commissioner will be meeting in Chicago during the second week of August. They are expected to discuss the sale of the Miami Marlins, among a number of other things.

Major League Baseball remains optimistic that the sale of the team can take place within a week or two. But if you’ve been following the epic, that’s been the narrative for several months.

The deal was considered a lock for late-June, or mid-July the latest. Commissioner Rob Manfred wanted to give the incoming owners a chance to weigh-in on roster moves ahead of the deadline. That didn’t happen. The Miami Marlins decided to stand pat with their roster, and their ownership.

Next: The rebirth of the Vanimal

For Miami Marlins fans, the soap opera drama that the sale of the team has becoming isn’t surprising. Jeffery Loria has tortured, teased, and tormented fans with his financial thriftiness since moving in to the owners office.

A sale will come, eventually. Don’t be surprised if it comes in November, or early December though. All sides appear to be very far apart right now. MLB will certainly want a deal done before the winter meetings, but for now, there is no apparent rush on Loria’s part to rid himself of the team.