19. Miami Marlins (73-82, minus-45, LT: 19)
When it comes to rebuilding a franchise, there’s no single right answer. You could build around your popular franchise player, or trade him for a truckload of great prospects. You could attack the free-agent market, or patiently build from the ground up, and refrain from opening the checkbook until the conditions for spending are perfect. You could hire an old-hand manager, or seek out new blood to lead a new generation of players.
Whatever Derek Jeter decides to do now that he’s likely to soon assume control of the Marlins, you can usually make an argument for why it might end up being the right course of action. But ordering David Samson to fire special advisers Andre Dawson, Tony Perez, Jack McKeon, and Andre Dawson, because Jeter reportedly didn’t want to do it himself, is a helluva way to start. Giving that order after Jeter’s told Samson that he too is being fired? That’s a new one.
