Kim Ng, the first female general manager in any major professional sports league, said she walked away from the Miami Marlins because of her disagreement with the direction of the program. 

Many baseball executives were shocked to find out that Ng would not accept a contract extension after leading the Marlins to a playoff appearance in only her third year in the front office.

Ng attributes her parting to disagreements with the Marlins’ principal owner and chairman, Bruce Sherman.

“Last week Bruce and I discussed his plan to reshape the Baseball Operations department,” Ng said. “In our discussions, it became apparent that we were not completely aligned on what that should look like and I felt it best to step away.”

Sherman established his intention to hire an executive for Ng to report to, despite her success as the organization’s top operations leader.

The public showed immense confusion in response to Sherman’s statement after he gave kudos to Ng after the Marlins clinched a wild-card playoff game.

“Not easy being in her role at all,” Sherman said. “Can you imagine that? First female GM in all of baseball history. Unbelievable. And all the moves, all the trade moves, have been excellent.”

Ng also separated from the organization for much the same reason that the club’s former chief executive officer and former MLB star Derek Jeter did.

After his exit in 2022, Jeter said “[he]  just couldn’t move on if [he] didn’t agree with the direction that the organization was going.”

Not only was Ng deemed successful in her time operating the Marlins, but she was notorious for making deadline decisions that impacted the team’s success in the postseason, a skill many current executives have struggled to develop. 

Though this was her first GM job, Ng is no stranger to MLB front offices, formerly working with the Chicago White Sox, New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers.

The Boston Red Sox have recently spoken about their need to hire a new general manager. Ng was offered an interview but has allegedly turned it down.

Regardless of her current status in the MLB, Ng has said she will continue to uphold the qualities that have allowed her to work at the highest level of her field.

“When I got into this business, it seemed unlikely a woman would lead a major league team, but I am dogged in the pursuit of my goals,” Ng said.