MIAMI - A year ago, the Florida Marlins chose Joe Girardi over Fredi Gonzalez as manager.

Fredi Gonzalez puts on his jersey and smiles after being named the new Florida Marlins manager at a press conference Tuesday, Oct. 3, 2006 in Miami. (AP Photo/Luis M. Alvarez)

Now they're going the other way.

Florida fired Girardi after only one season Tuesday and hired Gonzalez, the third-base coach for the Atlanta Braves the past four years.

Gonzalez said he expects no problems with his new bosses, even though owner Jeffrey Loria is on his fourth manager since buying the Marlins in 2002.

"I left a pretty good place in Atlanta," Gonzalez said. "If I had any hesitation, I wouldn't have come here. The more I spoke to Mr. Loria, the more comfortable I got. I think our relationship will be fine."

Gonzalez was runner-up to Girardi for the job in October 2005. A year later, the Marlins were so eager to reverse their decision that they began negotiations with Gonzalez a week before the season ended, hoping to head off other teams in the market for a manager.

By the middle of last week, the Marlins and Gonzalez had reached an agreement.

"We knew Fredi was our guy, and we wanted to beat our competition to him," general manager Larry Beinfest said. "Interviewing while you have a sitting manager probably isn't the greatest thing, but we went through proper channels with the commissioner's office and the Atlanta Braves."

The Marlins are coming off a surprising 78-win season with baseball's youngest roster, including four rookies who won 10 games or more. San Francisco, Washington and the Chicago Cubs also decided to change managers, but Gonzalez found the vacancy in Miami especially appealing.

"This one might have been the most coveted one in baseball," he said. "With a good young pitching staff, you've got to like that."

Born in Cuba and raised in Miami, Gonzalez became the first manager in the Marlins' organization when they hired him to run their first minor league team in Erie, Pa., in 1992. Beginning in 1999, he coached third base for 2 1/2 years under Marlins manager John Boles.

"It's a long way from Erie, man," a smiling Gonzalez said at a news conference. "I hope I'm here for a lot of years."

Girardi's departure after only one season had been expected after a rift with Loria boiled over two months ago in an on-field confrontation over the owner's heckling of an umpire. Beinfest said the Marlins decided to fire Girardi not because of the umpire incident, but because he failed to mesh with others in the organization.

"Joe is not returning because it was not a good fit," Beinfest said. "I will take some of that blame. I'm in charge, and it's my job to make sure everything runs as smoothly and efficiently as possible."

The cost-conscious Marlins wanted Girardi out so badly they were willing to let him go with two years left on a guaranteed three-year contract, which may cost them as much as $1.5 million. Florida also made the move even though Girardi's considered a strong candidate for NL manager of the year.

Girardi said he was fired during a short, unemotional meeting in his office with Beinfest, assistant general manager Mike Hill and team president David Samson. Loria did not attend the meeting but later spoke to Girardi by phone, a spokesman for the owner said.

Girardi, an Illinois native, Northwestern graduate and former Cubs catcher, becomes a potential candidate to replace Dusty Baker, whose four-year tenure with the Cubs ended Monday.

Girardi said he has no idea what he'll do next season, and plans to discuss options with his wife. His voice broke when he began discussing his dismissal with reporters in his office, but he was soon smiling and cracking jokes.

"I'll land on my feet," he said. "I talked to one of my mentors last night and I said, 'I've never been fired before.' And he said, 'Welcome to the club.'"

New York Yankees manager Joe Torre, who served as a mentor to Girardi, said he talked to his former catcher Sunday.

"There was no anger," Torre said. "He understood that managing is not always based on how well you do. There are certain things you need to do, and people you need to please."

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AP Baseball Writer Ron Blum in New York contributed to this report.