Miami Marlins: New-Look Marlins a Perfect Fit for Showtime's "The Franchise"

The San Francisco Giants were an obvious choice for Showtime's first running of "The Franchise." They were coming off a shocking World Series victory, and they boasted a cast of colorful characters unparalleled in Major League Baseball.

Until now, that is. The new-look Miami Marlins are filled to the brim with unique personalities, which is probably why Showtime and Major League Baseball are looking to put them in the spotlight.

According to Variety, Showtime and MLB are "believed to be close" to locking down a deal to feature the Marlins in the second running of "The Franchise." If and when the deal is completed, it won't be long before camera crews are embedded with the team.

This would simply be too much fun. Just take a second to consider some of the characters that would be captured by those cameras.

New manager Ozzie Guillen would have to be the star of the show. He's renowned for his I-don't-give-a-[bleep] personality, and one can only imagine why kind of TV gold he could produce with cameras following him around at every waking moment. The Ozzie highlight reels we already have would pale in comparison.

The Marlins also have one of the most volatile players in baseball in starting pitcher Carlos Zambrano, who they recently acquired from the Chicago Cubs. He's an infamous hothead, but maybe the cameras could show us that he's not such a bad guy off the field.

Or they could show us that he's even worse off the field. Either way, good television.

Let's not forget Logan Morrison either. His Twitter account is a source of endless comedy, and Showtime's cameras could show us if he's like that in real life too.

Then you have recent free-agent acquisitions like superstar shortstop Jose Reyes, closer Heath Bell and veteran starting pitcher Mark Buehrle. It would be interesting to see how they are adjusting to life with their new team, not to mention the lives afforded by their new contracts.

Additionally, the Marlins have young stars like Hanley Ramirez, Mike Stanton and Josh Johnson. They are well-known among the baseball-loving public, but not so much among casual baseball fans. "The Franchise" could be their ticket to superstardom.

In the meantime, the series would spend the bulk of its time at the team's new stadium, which is apparently quite the establishment.

So all told, we would have a colorful cast and a colorful setting if "The Franchise" were to focus on the Marlins. That would be another win for the series, which scored big-time with the Giants in 2011.

Here's hoping Showtime and MLB complete the deal. Otherwise, we may have to settle for a series focused on a far less interesting team.

You know, like the Oakland Athletics.