Ozzie Guillen On The Way Out

It is the end of the season and with that will come changes to the Miami Marlins organization, changes on the field and possibly changes off the field. Some of that includes lowering payroll and could include disposing of manager Ozzie Guillen who has led the team down to the abyss and has kept them there since June.

As it looks like, president of baseball operations Larry Beinfest will keep his job making Guillen the scapegoat for a horrendous season that has not totally been entirely his fault.

Guillen may have sealed his fate Thursday when he lashed out on the media again talking about reliever Heath Bell. Guillen told Fox Sports, "last week it was the pitching coach. The week before it was his teammates. Every week it's something. That's why I don't respect him as a person. You have to have principles."

That could be the envelope that sealed his fate. His mouth has been running too long for this to continue to go on. It is time for Guillen to go but the question is now who will replace him. Who would want to step into a spot where now there is incredible pressure?

With the team wanting to lower its payroll, it is quite possible that a former Major League player will be on the teams target list. Low risk managers have been working in the majors for teams like the St. Louis Cardinals with Mike Matheny and the Chicago White Sox with Robin Ventura.

Here are possible targets for the Marlins as the team heads into the offseason.

DeMarlo Hale

DeMarlo Hale has been the most sought after manager over the past three years but has not seemed to find a job other than an assistant coach. Hale is the current third base coach for the Baltimore Orioles. Hale was in the running for the Toronto Blue Jays job in 2010 but it was given to his colleague at the time John Farrell. Hale could be in position to snag this job but if the Marlins want to get a younger manager, Hale, being 51, would be on the outside looking in.

Brad Ausmus

Brad Ausmus has been an outside candidate for this job. Ausmus was more tied into the Houston Astros job but Bo Porter was hired over him. Ausmus has been linked to the San Diego Padres job as well but might be better suited for the Marlins job considering the team’s position on hiring nowadays. The former big-league catcher will be a manager somewhere in the majors if not in Miami.

Mike Redmond

Mike Redmond is a former Marlins catcher who played in 465 games for the team from 1998-2004. If there’s anyone that knows the organization it is Redmond. He was a Marlins player and he is a manger for Single-A Dunedin Blue Jays. Redmond has managerial experience, which could give him the edge over the competition.

Mike Lowell

Last but not least I think this guy is the best choice for the Marlins. Mike Lowell is the greatest Marlins third baseman in the franchise’s history and probably one of the most recognized players. The long-time Marlin finished his career with the Boston Red Sox but he could definitely be the team’s next manager. Lowell is currently an analyst on the MLB Network and was part of the 2003 World Series team. He should be the next manager of this club and would be a perfect fit.

Ozzie Guillen?

Is it a possibility that Ozzie Guillen survives the storm and the media hurricane surrounding him? There is always a chance that owner Jeffrey Loria and Ozzie Guillen have a meting to clear everything up and in the end smooth over any differences. Is that likely to happen? No, probably not but it is still amazing how Guillen survived the year after his comments about Fidel Castro. There is always a possibility that Guillen could pull off some magic and keep his job.