Reports: Jose Fernandez off the market
With day three of the winter meetings officially coming to a close, it looks like Marlins ace Jose Fernandez has been officially pulled from the trade market. Marlins executive Michael Hill said Wednesday, that the team is no longer looking to deal Fernandez and all signs point to the Marlins retaining their prized pitcher into the 2016 season.
The Arizona Diamondback showed initial interest in Jose, offering up top prospect Dansby Swanson, and young starter Patrick Corbin among others in a package deal. The Marlins passed up the offer and the D’backs acquired Shelby Miller from the Atlanta Braves in return for a number of prospects and outfielder Ender Inciarte.
The next potential suitor was the New York Yankees, offering up pitcher Luis Severino and first baseman Greg Bird. The talks eventually broke off, never materializing into an actual deal between both sides and stopping at only a rumor.
The last potential trade partner was the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Dodgers looked into Jose’s past, medical record, and had the means to acquire him with a deep farm system. The talks between the two teams have reportedly broken off with neither side able to reach an agreement.
So with talks officially over, and the star pitcher pulled from the market, it looks like it’s time to evaluate Fernandez’s value to the 2016 Marlins. After coming back successfully from Tommy John Surgery and pitching extremely well in his 11 starts after the procedure. All signs point to Fernandez being the ace of the 2016 Marlins staff and potentially being their Opening Day starter.