Marlins reportedly wanted to hire Valentine in June

The Palm Beach Post reports Florida Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria wanted to fire manager Fredi Gonzalez in June and replace him with Bobby Valentine.

Valentine was linked to the Marlins in September when Loria talked with the former Texas Rangers and New York Mets manager about a position in the organization.

Loria and Gonzalez are meeting this week in Paris. The Post speculates the get-together is designed to iron out differences.

Valentine tried to deflect the Gonzalez matter during a radio interview with a Miami radio station Friday. He was complimentary of Gonzalez and sidestepped questions about whether he and Loria spoke. The Post says Valentine confirmed to the newspaper that a meeting had taken place.

Valentine recently returned to the U.S. after a successful stint managing in Japan. He is working as a studio analyst for ESPN, but has been linked to managerial openings in Cleveland and Washington.
 

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