José Fernández has not exactly had a smooth relationship with the Miami Marlins so far. That may, however, not be enough to instigate a trade, at least not yet.
There were rumors of a potential trade looming for Fernández to the Los Angeles Dodgers. That trade never materialized, following reports that the Marlins were asking too much (players) in exchange for the 23-year-old Cuban pitcher.
With that trade shot down, the word out right now is that Fernández and the Marlins will likely try to make things work before Fernández hits free agency.
The Cuban will not hit free agency until 2018, although the Marlins are likely to exhaust his stay, seeing Fernández is expected to ask for a lucrative contract by then which Miami is unlikely to oblige.
Even though the figures of what Fernández may be leaning on remain unclear, the ballpark amount of what the Cuban expects for his next contract is estimated to be around $30 million, as mentioned on the Miami Herald.
Further adding beef to the belief that the Marlins will try to work out things with Fernández for now is that the franchise may be seriously looking into a possible title-run.
Miami recently locked in second baseman Dee Gordon and starter Wei-Yin Chen to respective five-year deals and Fernández is seen as a critical element to make those plans a reality. All that could happen within the next three years before the pitcher's fair market value skyrockets to an amount the Marlins may not be able to afford.
Fernández had only 47 starts last season in the Major League Baseball (MLB) but showed his value. He is 22–9 and holds a 2.40 earned run average (ERA), 1.01 walks plus hits per inning pitched (WHIP), and 336 strikeouts in 289 innings, all accounting for an interesting next season when he may likely replace Tommy John who recently underwent surgery.
Staying put could be good for Fernández for now as he tries to build up his career before free agency and that coveted rich contract pundits expect him to get.
