Jeff Conine, Marlins Part Ways After Disagreement with Derek Jeter over Role

Jeff Conine said Thursday that he parted ways with the Miami Marlins organization after he was offered a lesser role and less pay by part owner Derek Jeter.

According to Clark Spencer and Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald, Conine said the following about his departure: "To say I'm disappointed, that I won't have a role in this organization, yeah, I'm disappointed."

Conine spent parts of eight seasons with the Marlins as a player and had been serving as a special assistant to former team president David Samson.

Nicknamed "Mr. Marlin," Conine was part of the organization's two World Series wins in 1997 and 2003 as an outfielder and first baseman.

Despite his departure, Conine said he is still hopeful the Marlins are destined for big things: "I spent 7.5 years as a player and the last nine years as someone working with the organization. I've always considered myself a Marlin. I'm a member of this community. I want to see them win again. I want to see them get back to the World Series and the playoffs."

Conine was an All-Star for the Marlins in 1994 and 1995, and he finished his 17-year MLB playing career with a .285 batting average, 214 home runs and 1,071 RBI.

Per Spencer and Jackson, Conine was fired along with fellow special assistants Jack McKeon, Tony Perez and Andre Dawson in September, but Conine, Perez and Dawson were reportedly all offered roughly half of their previous $100,000 annual salaries to return.

Miami is coming off a 77-85 season, and it hasn't reached the playoffs since winning the World Series as the Florida Marlins in 2003.