Ozzie Guillen luckier than former managers Fredi Gonzalez and Joe Girardi in Miami Marlins - MLB
New ballpark unveiling, player after player being bought with least financial constraints and lavish spending on many other areas point to a comfort Ozzie Guillen finds in Miami Marlins. A situation two erstwhile managers can only crave now. So many things
happened after they left both Fredi Gonzalez and Joe Girardi believe will be so great if they were to happen under them.
Enduring weather unpredictability under Marlins previous roofless ballpark and making due adjustments accordingly had been the sort of issues they had to grapple with in their time.
Ever since the start of last season, Marlins have got into a habit of getting too over the top in their buying behaviours. Last year, as soon as they felt their bullpen needed attention, they immediately bought Ryan Webb, Michael Dunn, Randy Choate and Edward
Mujica taking their long-term trading strategy out of the equation.
In an act of short-lived solutions, they put aside altogether as to which direction they wanted to take their side to in the long-run. It was because of this attitude that last time all measures they employed back-fired, with most of key players getting
injured on the eve of crucial games and many others not living up to expectations.
Although Joe Girardi had his time during the period between 2005 and 2007, Fredi Gonzalez stayed with the club until 2010 when he was fired for giving way to Edwin Rodriguez. Since that was the time when club had their belt tightened for making expenditures,
both of them chatted in fascination as Marlins were going out of their way to make most of the available free agency options during December trades.
For them, seeing the club signing an expensive six-year contract with Jose-Reyes and pursuing players like Albert Pujols and C.J. Wilson was unprecedented.
“You heard they were in on Pujols, in on C.J. Wilson, and you never believe everything you read,” Gonzalez said. “And then they go, bang, [signing Jose] Reyes. And they go, bang, Heath Bell. And you go ‘Oh [no].’ ”
Despite extravagance the Marlins have resorted to, results remain to be seen. As happened in 2011, as then the club tried to turn things their way through extra expenditures but in vain. Thus, how they are going to fare this year is nothing short of a huge
challenge for their current manager Ozzie Guillen.
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