If the Marlins' clubhouse were a baseball, it might be coming apart at the seams.
A.J. Burnett was sent home this week by the team after derogatory remarks he made about the franchise. But of even greater concern might be the attitude of budding star Miguel Cabrera.
The Palm Beach Post reported that Cabrera's teammates and some Marlins officials are concerned about the 22-year-old slugger's attitude and work ethic.
Cabrera was not in the lineup Monday, serving a one-game suspension for showing up late to a game in Atlanta on Sunday. He also wasn't in the lineup last Thursday in New York after not reporting on time to a medical treatment after fouling a ball off his knee the night before, the newspaper reported.
Also, Cabrera stopped shagging fly balls in July and August, instead sitting in the dugout with friends from his native Venezuela, the Post reported, and only resumed the pregame activity after a talk with Hall of Famer Tony Perez, a special assistant for the team.
"Sometimes fame comes too quickly," Perez told the Post. "He has the ability; everybody knows that. He's got a great future ahead of him, but that's up to him."
Cabrera's attitude has cost him respect in the clubhouse, some Marlins players told the Post. Marlins veteran Jeff Conine told the newspaper that a player should have a heart to heart with Cabrera.
Cabrera isn't in the mood for a lecture, however.
"[Forget] the veterans," he told the Post. "They haven't told me anything and they better not come tell me anything, either.
"I don't want to hear anything else. I want to play baseball, give what I have to give on the field of play, and win. That's all I want. ...
"Everyone here is a grown man," he told the newspaper. "Everyone knows what he's doing. And I'm not going to go crazy worrying about these things."
Perez told the Post he believes Cabrera is just going through a phase.
"I think he sees that baseball is what he wants to do, what he loves. He has all my support, but he has to be willing to listen. What you say can't go in one ear and out the other," he told the newspaper.
In 154 games this season, Cabera is batting .321 with 32 homers and 112 RBI.