Report: Jeb Bush ends pursuit of Marlins, Jeter reportedly hopes to stay involved

The former Florida governor is no longer interested in buying the Marlins, but Derek Jeter still wants in

Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush is no longer pursuing ownership of the Miami Marlins, according to The Associated Press. The team has not commented on any talks, and no reason has been given for Bush backing out of the deal.

Derek Jeter, who was part of Bush's ownership group, reportedly remains interested in bidding for the team with other investors. Jeter was slated to be the "control person" as part of the Bush group.

Jeb Bush had less than $20 M of own money in deal, per MLB source So Jeter group loses nothing meaningful without him.

— Barry Jackson (@flasportsbuzz) May 30, 2017

"Gov. Bush has great respect for Derek Jeter, and Derek remains a great friend," a source told the AP. "And he's looking forward to a great rest of the season for the Marlins."

The Bush/Jeter group won the team at auction in April, though the two sides still needed to finalize details, including financing. The reported sale price was $1.3 billion. Jeffrey Loria purchased the team for $158.2 million in 2002.

With the Bush/Jeter group out, the leading candidate to purchase the Marlins is a group led by Tagg Romney, son of former Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney, according to the AP. Hall of Famer Tom Glavine is part of that ownership group.

Loria reportedly had a handshake agreement in place to sell the club for $1.6 billion to another group earlier this year, though that deal fell apart because of political reasons.