The Miami Marlins are reportedly exploring trade options for ace Jose Fernandez.
The Miami Marlins are exploring different ways of improving their team after an extremely disappointing 2015 season. One of those ways that they could improve themselves for the future is by trading starting pitcher Jose Fernandez, though the Marlins have downplayed the Fernandez rumors.
"“We do not comment on trade rumors,” team president David Samson texted this afternoon. “Some players are more likely to be traded than others. Jose fits in the latter category… He is a Marlin for at least the next three years and hopefully longer and we look forward to the start of the 2016 season.” – Miami Herald"
The Marlins will likely need to be blown away to trade Fernandez, and dealing him now makes very little sense. He has only thrown 116 1/3 innings over the past two seasons. The Marlins should at least wait for him to prove that he can throw a full season again after having Tommy John surgery in 2014.
While Tommy John surgery is a huge red flag, most pitchers nowadays are able come back from it successfully. However, there are enough cases of pitchers not being as dominant as they were before the surgery that makes teans reticent to offer up a large trade package for a guy on the mend.
Beyond that, Fernandez will also likely not be expensive thanks to his surgery. MLB Trade Rumors projects him to get just $2,000,000 in arbitration – a reasonable number given his very limited innings in 2014 and 2015.
Jose Fernandez has a career 2.40 ERA and a 22-9 record over his first three seasons. While the club claims it isn’t interested in trading Fernandez, Marlins fans have heard that line far too many times and seen it turn out to be a lie.