After absorbing one final defeat to end a dreadful season, Ozzie Guillen sat at his desk, uncertain about his future and fretting about his scheduled flight to Spain on Thursday to start a vacation.
"I bet you the plane will be late," Guillen said. "That's my year."
A 4-2 loss Wednesday to the New York Mets ended the Miami Marlins' worst season since 1999, and their most disappointing year ever. Touted as playoff contenders after an uncharacteristic offseason spending binge, the Marlins (69-93) instead endured their third consecutive losing season.
Following the finale, Guillen met briefly with president of baseball operations Larry Beinfest and general manager Michael Hill. Owner Jeffrey Loria wasn't at the game, but he hasn't ruled out changes at the top.
"They're going to have a meeting soon about it," Guillen said. "It's a very tough situation. We all failed, and we're all a big part of this bad season. They have to think about it and with time see what we need, and think with their mind and not their heart. Right now it's too hard to make decisions because everybody is bitter and very upset and disappointed with the season. I think they're doing the right thing to think about it."
Ozzie Guillen: 'I Take the Blame 100 Percent'
The fates of Guillen and Larry Beinfest are in doubt even though both are under contract through 2015. That's how badly the season went after a rebranding of the franchise and the move into a new ballpark.
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"Everyone is happy it's done," said slugger Giancarlo Stanton, one of the team's few bright spots. "It wasn't a great year for all of us as a whole."
With a crowd of 27,418 for the finale, the Marlins drew more than 2.2 million fans, 12th-best in the NL but their highest total since 1997.
The Mets (74-88) finished fourth in the NL East for the fourth year in a row, but they believe things are on the upswing after the settlement of a suit stemming from the Bernard Madoff Ponzi scheme.
General manager Sandy Alderson said the Mets will make "every effort" to reach long-term deals with third baseman David Wright and 20-game winner R.A. Dickey, and the team may be more active this offseason in the trade and free-agent markets.
"The organization is in a stronger position than a year ago," Alderson said.
The Mets were hardly a long-ball team this season, but they showed some muscle in the finale. Ike Davis hit his 32nd homer, Scott Hairston reached 20 for the first time and Andres Torres hit his third.
Rookie Jeremy Hefner (4-7), who hopes to make the Mets' roster in 2013, closed the season with his second consecutive strong start. He allowed two runs in 7 1-3 innings.
Wright went 0 for 2 before leaving the game and finished at .306. Davis, whose average dipped to .158 in June, ended up at .227.
New York's Lucas Duda was hit in the back of the helmet by a 79-mph curve from Dan Jennings in his final at-bat. Duda walked to first but was then taken out of the game.
Miami's Jose Reyes swiped second base in the sixth to reach 40 steals for the fifth time, and the first time since 2008.
Rookie Tom Koehler (0-1), making his first major-league start, gave up three runs in six innings. Three starters in the final game finished under .200.
"I appreciate the effort and the respect the players gave me," Guillen said. "They played hard. They played bad."
NOTES: The Mets finished 12-6 against Miami and tied a franchise record for most victories in a year against the Marlins, set in 2001. ... The Mets improved to 79-79 in Miami. ... The roof at the Marlins' new ballpark was open for eight of 81 games, and only once after June 13. ... Parnell did not allow a run in his final 11 1-3 innings.
