The Marlins’ recent decision to fire Fredi Gonzalez has not worked out so far. They were just swept by the Padres, and on top of that, Bobby Valentine, their primary managerial target, will probably not join the squad because of philosophical differences.
What does this mean to Marlins fans?
It means the Marlins will probably not land a top-notch manager for the rest of the season. Let’s discuss two in-house candidates, including the current interim manager.
Edwin Rodriguez has been abysmal in his first four games. He has lacked authority while talking to umpires, and making hard decisions. It seems as if he isn’t comfortable when having to fight for his team.
Bo Porter may just land the top job. He used to work with the Marlins as a third base coach, and he is the favorite now, I say this because of his experience with the players and the front office.
Porter and Rodriguez have already interviewed formally for the position, so if Valentine hasn’t been formally contacted or interviewed in the next few days, I’d consider him permanently out of the running.
Right now, the Marlins are staying with Edwin Rodriguez, but if their play continues to be sloppy, I wouldn’t be surprised if they demote him back to Triple-A, and call in Bo Porter.
Bobby Valentine may still end up managing the Marlins because he has a good relationship with owner, Jeffrey Loria. You never know, they could sign him out of nowhere.
A similar about-face happened during Josh Johnson’s recent contract negotiations. There was an impasse, until surprisingly, the Marlins resigned him to a lucrative deal.
So keep an eye out! The Marlins front office is rather unpredictable, and we could be surprised yet.
Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com