Derek Jeter May Keep 4 Front Office Members He Reportedly Wanted to Fire

Just weeks after apparently deciding to fire four esteemed consultants with the Miami Marlins, Derek Jeter has reportedly changed his mind.

According to Barry Jackson and Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald, Jeter informed the team a plan to remove Andre Dawson, Tony Perez, Jack McKeon and Jeff Conine, who all have various front office roles within the organization.

However, Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports reported Wednesday there was a change of heart. Jeter reportedly called all four men to tell them there would be roles for them going forward.

There are conflicting reports about whether the team's new part-owner changed his mind or there was a miscommunication with Marlins President David Samson, who had been tasked with informing the four baseball veterans of their firings.

Jeter's group, with principal owner Bruce Sherman, finalized its purchase of the team Monday from Jeffrey Loria for $1.2 billion. The former Yankees shortstop was named team CEO.

While he has the ability to make firing and hiring decisions, all four of those fired were highly respected members of the baseball community and especially within the Marlins organization.

Perez and Dawson were Hall of Fame players, with Dawson ending his career with the Marlins and Perez spending time there as a coach. McKeon was the team's manager in the most recent World Series title in 2003, while Conine was a part of both championships in 1997 and 2003. He spent seven years in Florida and only Luis Castillo has played more games for the franchise.

Regardless of what type of contributions they make behind the scenes, keeping all four within the organization could represent a big step toward easing the transition to new ownership.