Dan Jennings relishing being Marlins' manager

Go back to the 18th of May and Dan Jennings' name was pasted all over the headlines. The Marlins, sporting a record of 16-22, had assigned their general manager with the task of becoming their new manager after firing Mike Redmond due to a rough start to the season. The Marlins were the laughingstock of baseball, and it had a lot to do with Jennings' lack of any professional coaching experience.

Fast-forward four months, and, well, the team has actually fared better under their new skipper. However, the Fish dropped out of the playoff picture long ago and Dan Jennings holds a professional record of 47-61. The Fish have heated up in September, winning ten of fourteen games, but this will not save Jennings' managerial career. He looks set to return to the suit job from whence he came as the organization seeks a more experienced and permanent replacement .

The experiment, as one could call it, didn't exactly fail, but it won't go down in history. Jennings silenced the critics by proving that general managers can coach major league teams to wins, just not that many. In spite of that fact, Jennings has enjoyed occupying the role, and the knowledge he has gained may serve the team well this off season.

If he does indeed reprise his role as the General Manager of the Miami Marlins, he will know exactly how the clubhouse ticks, and can try to add players who can positively add to that atmosphere accordingly. He has had a closer look at the team's needs on a day-to-day basis, and that is experience that you can't buy.

He faces a tough task ahead of him, though.With no farm system (which needs to be somehow replenished soon) to perform trades and an owner who might still be reluctant to spend money despite doing his best to change opinions on the matter, how on Earth is he supposed to rebuild this team again? It is a tall order, and some don't believe he's up to the challenge.

Although his lack of success in the dugout may have made their relationship a little uneasy, Jeffrey Loria holds Jennings in high regard. He impressed by developing and promoting the likes of Christian Yelich, Marcell Ozuna and J.T. Realmuto, so he is successful at recognizing potential. He just has to do that again any way possible, and time is of the essence.

The front office is already undergoing "sweeping changes" before the season has finished. Jennings may well survive this overhaul, but if he doesn't turn this franchise around then his seat will only get warmer. So far, Dan Jennings' off season moves have only crippled the foundations of the Marlins, and this needs to change, or Jeffrey Loria won't hesitate to wipe that smile from his face.