NL East Notes: Loria, Roark, Franco

Earlier in the week it was reported that Marlins president of baseball operations Larry Beinfest confronted owner Jeffrey Loria to get a direct answer about his future with the club. Loria has yet to comment on the situation, but this isn't the first time that there has been speculation about Beinfest's job security in the past. Here's more on the Marlins front office and the rest of the NL East…

• Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald spoke to several officials regarding the Marlins' front office, with one source telling him that Loria "has marginalized the front office" and is making the calls on all baseball moves on his own. Another source told Spencer that they don't think team president David Samson's job is in danger.
• Spencer also spoke with former Nationals/Expos GM and current ESPN analyst Jim Bowden, and Bowden offered a different view, noting that it's "old school" to think a team's owner would ever let a GM make most of the decisions on his own: “There are very few situations left in baseball where the GM has full autonomy in making the call. I’ve never had a situation my entire career where I got to make the call, ever.” Bowden said the key is getting the owner and GM on the same page.
• Nationals right-hander Tanner Roark is making a case for a 2014 rotation spot, writes Dan Kolko of MASNsports.com. Kolko spoke with manager Davey Johnson, first baseman Adam LaRoche and third baseman Ryan Zimmerman, all of whom offered high praise for the 26-year-old. The Nats originally acquired Roark in the trade that sent Cristian Guzman to the Rangers. After a Triple-A season in 2012, Roark posted a 3.15 ERA in the minors this year and has a 1.08 ERA with 6.9 K/9, 1.9 BB/9 and a 45 percent ground-ball rate in 41 2/3 big league innings.
• Top Phillies prospect Maikel Franco expects to compete for a Major League job in Spring Training next season but is currently blocked by Cody Asche and Ryan Howard, writes Ryan Lawrence of the Philadelphia Daily News. Franco told Lawrence that he doesn't care what position he plays. The 21-year-old hit a combined .320/.356/.569 with 31 homers between High-A and Double-A this season.