Andrew Cashner (AP Photo/Gary Landers) Andrew Cashner had to shave his thick beard when he was traded to the Miami Marlins and he’s still not happy about it. It was a rather unkempt look he’d been working for years with the San Diego Padres, so it’s understandable he would be a little upset when he had no choice but to get rid of it.
The soon-to-be free agent right-hander takes his beard seriously, so much so that he*told Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald it will impact where he might end up next. And it appears that next is almost a foregone conclusion:
Cashner said “I still hate” the Marlins’ no-beard rule and “that is a big deal to me in free agency.”
The Marlins re-instituted their policy outlawing the growth of facial hair when Don Mattingly took over as manager in the offseason and from Mattingly’s comments to the Herald it’s not going anywhere.

“It’s just who we want to be as an organization,” Don Mattingly said. “It’s nothing like it makes us better or makes us more disciplined.”
It probably doesn’t help matters much that Cashner hasn’t pitched particularly well since joining Miami. He has a 1-4 record and a 4.78 ERA in seven starts and the Marlins’ wild card hopes are flickering as we approach the middle of September.
So with playoff hopes getting slimmer by the day, the conversation naturally turns to beards. Baseball can be funny.

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Israel Fehr is a writer for Big League Stew*on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter. Follow @israelfehr