A year ago, Ozzie Guillen was in the first year of a four-year deal with the Miami Marlins. Even after a rocky start following his ill-advised comments on Fidel Castro, he had reason to be optimistic about his future with Miami. The Marlins actually were 30-23 at the beginning of June, only two games out of first.

Then it all imploded, and Guillen was fired after a dreadful season.

So what now?

While waiting to see if he gets a call from another team, Guillen has decided to go the TV route. Last week, the former White Sox and Marlins manager signed on as an analyst for baseball games on ESPN Deportes.

The deal, though, goes beyond games. Guillen will be making occasional appearances on First Take and other ESPN studio shows.  He also will be heard on ESPN Deportes Radio Nueva York 1050 AM.  Guillen is slated to make weekly appearances on the radio station’s local shows – Zona ESPN and Firma ESPN.

Guillen made his first appearance Monday on First Take. The discussion ranged from an umpire dispute involving David Price to the Red Sox and Yankees (what else?).

Guillen wasn’t asked to weigh in on Tim Tebow. Now that would have been interesting.

It remains to be seen if Guillen can resurrect his managerial career. At some point, you would think there will be a publicity-hungry team willing to take a chance on Guillen.

Until then, Guillen is doing the right thing by remaining visible on the TV side. The stopover has worked for plenty of other guys.

In the release, Guillen said:

“It’s an honor to join the ESPN Deportes family. ESPN’s baseball analysts are some of the best in the business and I’m looking forward to joining the conversation and providing my perspective on what’s happening this season.”