Ozzie Guillén discusses Marlins departure and interest in returning

[Kevin Barral]

After Venezuela clinched their spot in the 2024 Caribbean Series final, manager Ozzie Guillén discussed his complicated past and uncertain future during a lengthy press conference.

MIAMI, FL—Entering the 2012 season, the Miami Marlins traded for Ozzie Guillén to become their next manager. Expectations were high for the former World Series winner as the team moved into a new ballpark and invested heavily in free agents. Unfortunately, as we all know, the Marlins disappointed and ended up going 69-93 with that star-studded team. Guillén was suspended for tone-deaf comments about Fidel Castro and fired after the season. He has not resurfaced on a major league coaching staff since then.

Guillén is finally back at loanDepot park for the Caribbean Series. He has managed Venezuela's Tiburones de La Guaira to a 6-1 record in the tournament, beating Panamá on Thursday to advance to the final.

In his Spanish-language postgame press conference, Guillén reflected on his history with the Marlins:

Quote

"I'm not someone who holds grudges of the past. The world takes a lot of spins. I have nothing against the Marlins or against (Jeffrey) Loria and all of this people. A lot of people say that I left for a comment that I supposedly said. No, they fired me because I was a bad manager. A bad team. The Marlins then were a bad team that then were all traded in June/July."

He added, "I remember telling the front office, 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. But again, they threw me out because I was a bad manager, not for the comment that I supposedly made."

The 60-year-old Guillén still lives here in Miami. He was asked about his interest in a possible return to the Marlins organization if their managerial position ever became open.

"They're going to have to put down a couple million dollars in front of me. You can't say no to that...I'm not looking to manage in the big leagues right now, but if the offer comes through, I may take it. The dream is still there."

The Marlins are currently led by reigning NL Manager of the Year Skip Schumaker. New president of baseball operations Peter Bendix has spoken positively about his first impressions of Schumaker, though his contract has not been extended yet.

“I’m really fortunate to be able to work with him,” Bendix told Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald last month. "It’s such an important part of the job to get the most out of the players to get them ready to play every single day...I’m really excited to work with Skip to see how he was able to do that.”

Venezuela will take on the Dominican Republic in the Caribbean Series final at 8:00 p.m.

View full article