Tim Kurkjian of ESPN The Magazine says a source close to the negotiations has said the Florida Marlins are expected to offer Bobby Valentine a four-year contract.

Valentine has confirmed that he will fly to Florida on Friday night to meet with Marlins executives including owner Jeffrey Loria and discuss the club’s vacant managerial position.

Valentine confirmed yesterday that he had withdrawn his name from the Baltimore Orioles managerial job soon after the the Marlins position opened up. The Marlins fired manager Fredi Gonzalez yesterday.

The Marlins are in Baltimore Thursday night, the beginning of a 16-day road trip. Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports says that Valentine could be the next manager as soon as the end of the weekend.

Rosenthal adds that the Marlins will interview two other candidates on Friday – Edwin Rodriguez, the interim manager, and Bo Porter, the Arizona Diamondbacks’ third base coach. The interviews of Rodriguez may be more of a formality to satisfy Bud Selig’s guidelines for minority hiring.