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October 25, 2012

Transaction Analysis

One and Done for Ozzie Guillen

by R.J. Anderson

MIAMI MARLINS Team Audit | Player Cards | Depth Chart

Fired manager Ozzie Guillen. [10/23]

Giving credence to the idea that the chase is better than the capture, the Marlins have dismissed Guillen a year after hiring him. Guillen had become the Marlins’ white whale. Each offseason brought rumors about the Marlins’ desire to bring Guillen, his outspoken nature, and his Latin American ethnicity to town. The Marlins entered the 2012 season with Guillen, a new stadium, new uniforms, and new household names on the roster. They were dreaming of a new era—an era where baseball ruled South Beach.

Those dreams never came true. Miami held first place for one day, during a white-hot June. After the All-Star break, the Marlins played like a 59-win team. You can’t put all of the blame on Guillen’s shoulders. By the time July ended, the front office was in the process of deconstructing the roster; Hanley Ramirez and Randy Choate went to Los Angeles, Omar Infante and Anibal Sanchez to Detroit, Edward Mujica to St. Louis, and so on. Young or otherwise inexperienced players stepped in, and on the season the Marlins received replacement-level production at four positions—first base, third base, left field, and center field.