Ozzie Guillén talks about Marlins’ departure and desire to come back.
During a protracted press conference following Venezuela’s 2024 Caribbean Series semifinal victory, manager Ozzie Guillén talked about his troubled past and uncertain future.
Miami, Florida —
Ozzie Guillén was acquired by the Miami Marlins as their new manager heading into the 2012 campaign. A new ballpark and significant free agent spending by the team raised expectations for the former World Series victor. Regretfully, as everyone is aware, the Marlins let everyone down and finished 69-93 with that elite group. After the season, Guillén was fired due to his tone-deaf remarks about Fidel Castro, for which he was suspended. Since then, he has not surfaced on a coaching staff in the major leagues.
Guillén is back for the Caribbean Series at loanDepot park at last. In the competition, he has led Venezuela’s Tiburones de La Guaira to a 6-1 record; they defeated Panama on Thursday to go to the championship game.
During his post-game press conference in Spanish, Guillén discussed his past with the Marlins:
“When you fire someone from your organization and you still have to pay a couple million dollars that is left for others, or you can say that they were fired and you’re still getting paid, that’s when I knew what was coming,” he continued. “I remember telling the front office.” However, they fired me again for being a poor manager rather than for the alleged remark I made.”
Guillén, who is sixty years old, continues to reside in Miami. He was questioned about whether he would be interested in joining the Marlins again if a managerial opening ever opened up.
“They will need to deposit a few million dollars in front of me. That is too good to refuse… Although I’m not currently looking to manage in the major leagues, I might accept the offer if it is made. The dream endures.”
Skip Schumaker, the current NL Manager of the Year, is in charge of the Marlins. Although Schumaker’s contract hasn’t been extended yet, new president of baseball operations Peter Bendix has talked favorably about his early impressions of the player.
This past month, Bendix told Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald, “I’m really fortunate to be able to work with him.” “Getting the most out of the players to prepare them for play every single day is such a crucial aspect of the job… Working with Skip to see how he accomplished that excites me much.
