During the winter meetings, it seems a lot of teams were talking to the Miami Marlins about the price for Jose Fernandez. The Marlins listened and politely declined, but might still leave an opening for those with enough young talent and depth to complete a deal, like the Chicago Cubs, Boston Red Sox and the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Of the trio we mentioned, the Dodgers are probably the team in more of a rush than anyone to get a deal done. They haven’t made any major acquisitions when it comes to starting pitching, and it feels that the team has gotten weaker this offseason, especially by losing Zack Greinke to the Arizona Diamondbacks, and looking slow or not attractive enough to major free agents they were after, which is the complete opposite of the Chicago Cubs, who seem capable of signing players without offering them the most money.
The Red Sox, like the New York Yankees, don’t seem to be in buying mode or mood this offseason. They’re interested in trades, nothing else, and have mostly been out of the picture, at least as far as the media is concerned, when it comes to the big names and big money deals in the last five weeks. They’ve also been in the picture when it comes to Hernandez, but just like the Cubs, they’re probably just surveying the field, trying to find out what the real cost of making a deal with the Marlins is.
And it’s probably more players, prospects and maybe some money than anyone is willing to give up. The Marlins haven’t done much since their major rebranding and the talent that’s been on the team, but it doesn’t mean they’re willing to give up it up without asking for everything in return. Fernandez is 23, and has been fantastic so far in the limited opportunities he’s had since 2013, posting a 22-9 record with a 2.40 ERA, 1.014 WHIP and 10.5 strikeouts per nine innings. It’s surprising the Marlins are even considering moving him, but if someone offers the magic number, maybe they’ll actually feel comfortable with letting him go.