At the MLB Winter Meetings there were plenty of trade rumors surrounding Miami Marlins starter Jose Fernandez, who was reportedly garnering a lot of interest from the Los Angeles Dodgers. However, the buzz has dissipated.
Fernandez was arguably the most high-profile player being discussed in trade scenarios, but it was said the Marlins were asking for an astronomical return (5-6 MLB-ready players). The Dodgers were said to be at the forefront of those talks, which didn't progress awfully far because the Marlins reportedly kept asking for Corey Seager, who Los Angeles refused to include in any deal.
A trade didn't seem likely then, and one doesn't seem likely now.
Joe Frisaro of MLB.com confirmed that this morning.
Last week, there was non stop buzz the #Marlins might trade Jose Fernandez. that was then. right now, all is quiet on that front
— Joe Frisaro (@JoeFrisaro) December 15, 2015
Fernandez weighed in on the trade rumors over the weekend and said they didn't bother him, but he had a telling response when asked if he wanted to stay in Miami with the Marlins.
"I've got no comment on that," he told Walter Villa of the Miami Herald. "I'm not allowed to comment on it."
There have been reports of Fernandez rejecting multiple contract extension offers from the team and previous rumors suggested he treated the team's management like "children." His agent, Scott Boras, doesn't seem to have a good relationship with the Marlins, especially after the team came out and publicly stated he will not be involved in any talks about Fernandez's potential innings-limit for the 2016 season (it'll be his first full year back from Tommy John surgery) probably due to the whole Matt Harvey debacle this past August/September.
While a lot of signs point to the possible departure of Fernandez, any potential trade remains complicated. The 23-year-old is under club control through 2018 and is viewed as an ace. In 47 career starts (289 innings), the right-hander is 22-9 with a 2.40 ERA, 1.01 WHIP and 336 strikeouts. The Marlins' asking price is monumental, as it should be, but why would MLB teams opt to mortgage their future right now when they can wait a few seasons to wait for the price to decrease or just wait for Fernandez to hit free agency?
Additionally, the Marlins are in a tough spot because they just landed a lucrative TV deal and it wouldn't be in their best interests to trade away one of their franchise players and one of the best pitchers in the MLB (obviously depending on the return).
So right now it's best to assume these trade talks involving Fernandez are dead, or at least barely breathing, because both the Marlins and any potential suitors are in a difficult spot to make a deal. Even a team like the Dodgers may not be able to afford to give up that many players in a trade because their MLB roster isn't all that impressive.
