Miami Marlins considered Ozzie Guillen reunion

He is still on the payroll and the Marlins were close to giving him another opportunity. According to Bob Nightengale of USA Today, the Marlins considered bringing Ozzie Guillen back to manage the club after Mike Redmond was dismissed.

Yes, if you can believe it, they also debated the idea of bringing back Ozzie Guillen, who was fired by these same Marlins after the 2012 season, and is still being paid $2.5 million. Yet, fearing a backlash from corporate sponsors about Guillen's comments praising Fidel Castro that got him axed in the first place, that was squashed too.

Guillen's time in Miami was short-lived, as the squad failed to reach 70 wins under his leadership and his Castro-related comments led to frustration throughout South Florida. The Marlins fired Guillen with three years remaining on his contract and the organization opted to hire Mike Redmond as it prepared to rebuild. Miami was expected to be competitive in 2015, and after early struggles fired Redmond. Dan Jennings is now filling out the lineup card, however as Nightengale notes, managers throughout the league have not taken the move seriously.

Owner Jeffrey Loria was a fan of Guillen and Miami's front office has been intrigued by aggressive managers. Guillen was a vocal leader who earned respect in the clubhouse, and if he had not been suspended early in the year, he may have received another year or two to manage the Marlins. A Guillen reunion would likely have made sense for the Marlins considering he is still being paid. But his history with the franchise may have led the organization to move forward.

Dusty Baker, Ron Washington, Jeff Conine, and Mike Lowell were all considered to be potential replacement options for the Marlins before the club opted to have Jennings move into the dugout. The Marlins have lost eight of ten games under Jennings and getting to the All-Star break around five hundred could prove to be a challenge.

The Marlins will likely explore other managerial options at the end of the season. Guillen likely will not be a candidate, but the fact that he was mentioned is significant and means the organization is still fond of his ability and coaching style.