Could it be Girardi?

The Marlins manager search continues to churn like a late night rock show. Touring the country looking for the best candidates and interviewing each one along the way. The best candidate was their seemingly first candidate, Joe Girardi. He is the favorite of owner Jeffrey Loria and he is the #1 target for the Marlins' brass.

But will Joe Girardi be wearing teal in the Marlins dugout next season?

Indications seem to point to yes. Speculation over Joe Torre's future seems to be overstated, as he is most likely to return to the Yankees. This ends any possibility for Girardi to take over for the Bronx Bombers. Besides, Lou Pinella is available and has been rumored to be the top replacement should Torre step down.

The other situation was the Cubs manager spot, which is not going to be vacated by Dusty Baker just yet.

That leaves the Devil Rays and the Marlins as the leading candidates for interviewing Girardi and both teams have met with the Yankees bench coach over the last few weeks. The Marlins, as recently reported, are offering the job.

The other indication that may be a positive sign for Girardi is that Mark Wiley, the Marlins pitching coach, has apparently turned down a position with the Seattle Mariners, believed to also be a pitching coach position.

There is, of course, Al Leiter. Al Leiter has been reported to be excited and will give a ringing endorsement to Girardi about Jeffrey Loria, who really impressed Leiter when the Marlins pitched their bid for Leiter's services this past offseason. Carl Pavano also has reportedly given very strong endorsements backing the Marlins organization and Jeffrey Loria in particular.

So the situation seems ripe and all the signs point to the Marlins being the right fit for Joe Girardi to take over as manager. Will he? That question remains unanswered for the time being.