Valentine turns down offer to manage Marlins

Bobby Valentine has turned down an offer to become the manager of the Florida Marlins, SI.com has confirmed.

Valentine is still being considered for the open managerial positions in Seattle and Toronto. Florida appeared all but certain to hire Valentine last summer after they fired Fredi Gonzalez. However, someone up high halted owner Jeffrey Loria's plans for Valentine following an apparently contentious interview with Valentine. It isn't exactly clear what happened in that meeting, but folks in the know say things got heated between Valentine and someone high up in the Marlins' chain of command. The Marlins then tapped organization man Edwin Rodriguez as the interim manager instead, and Rodriguez finished out the season.

Valentine managed the Rangers and Mets in the majors and the Chiba Lotte Marines in Japan but has not been in a big-league dugout since leaving the Mets in 2002. News of Valentine's withdrawal was reported by ESPN, where Valentine has been working this season as a baseball analyst.