MIAMI >> Ozzie Guillen has been fired after one year as manager of the last-place Miami Marlins, whose promising season began to derail in April when his laudatory comments about Fidel Castro caused a backlash.

The Marlins announced the firing Tuesday. They still owe Guillen $7.5 million for the three years remaining on his contract.

The franchise was supposedly transformed by a spending spree last offseason and the move into a new ballpark, and the Marlins expected to contend for a playoff berth. But a dismal June took them out of contention for good.

The season went sour from the start when Guillen’s comments praising former Cuban leader Castro in a magazine interview angered Cuban Americans, who make up a large segment of the Marlins’ fan base.