Marlins To Let Girardi Go After Only One Year

Joe Girardi, who has kept an overachieving Marlins team in playoff contention despite a 15 million dollar payroll, will be let go after only one year with the ballclub. A source who has spoken with the Marlins front office has said that Girardi has "zero chance" of coming back on a scale of one to ten. Although he is a candidate for Manager of the Year, Girardi has clashed with management all season and was rumored to have almost been fired a little over a month ago. There are two recent incidents that reportedly stand out as Girardi's last straws. The first was leaving starter Josh Johnson in the game after a long rain delay. Johnson subsequently left the game with pain in his forearm and was shut down for the year. The second was inserting outfielder Reggie Abercrombie in as a defensive substitution only to have him commit two crucial errors in a loss to the Braves, that more or less ended the Marlins chances at the postseason.

Girardi is in the first year of a three year deal, and will be owed 1.5 million, unless he is picked up by another club. Girardi, who is from the Chicago area, is rumored as replacement for Dusty Baker, if and when he is let go by the Cubs. As for the Marlins, they are already looking to interview the Braves' Fredi Gonzalez, the Mets' Manny Acta and Joey Cora of the White Sox.