Derek Jeter Deflects on Question About Giancarlo Stanton's Marlins Future

On Tuesday, Derek Jeter made his first public comments since the ownership group he is a part of purchased the Miami Marlins for $1.2 billion, but he apparently wasn't ready to commit one way or the other regarding Giancarlo Stanton's future.

"We do have to rebuild the organization," Jeter said, per ESPN.com. "It starts with player development and scouting. We will build it from top down and bottom up."

While the New York Yankees legend admitted there may be some "unpopular decisions" during the rebuilding process, he gave a neutral answer when discussing Stanton.

"I don't know [Stanton] well," Jeter said. "I haven't spoken to the players. I haven't spoken to him. Anything we're going to do moving forward with the organization, I will discuss with [team president Mike Hill]."

Jeter may be discussing personnel moves with others in the front office, but he holds enough sway for the team's official Twitter account to usher in his welcoming as "a new era":

Jeter's rebuilding comments juxtapose against Stanton's declaration he made to Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports.

"I don't want to rebuild," Stanton said. "I've lost for seven years."

There is no question Stanton is a generational talent and the face of the Marlins franchise at this point. The four-time All-Star slashed .281/.376/.631 with 59 home runs and 132 RBI this season and is in the middle of his prime at just 27 years old.

However, the Marlins have finished with a losing record every single season since he was a rookie in 2010 and haven't reached the playoffs since the 2003 season, when they defeated Jeter's Yankees in the World Series.

What's more, the ESPN.com report pointed out Stanton is a mere three years into a 13-year, $325 million deal that is so backloaded he is still owed $285 million. That is a significant salary, especially for a team that lost money during the 2017 campaign, per ESPN.com.

Building around Stanton is one option, but trading away a salary like his could allow the Marlins to rebuild in a number of different areas as they enter the Jeter era.