Since signing Giancarlo Stanton to the most expensive contract in sports last month, it’s been quiet around the Miami Marlins – their lone move was the acquisition of reliever Aaron Crow from the Kansas City Royals.
But that silence isn’t because of a lack of trying – according to Jon Heyman of CBS Sports, the club is trying to lock up several members of its young core alongside Stanton, including 2013 NL Rookie of the Year Jose Fernandez.
The Marlins have made a six-year guaranteed offer said to be worth close to $40 million to ace pitcher Jose Fernandez. There’s still believed to be a lot of work to do, if in fact there’s any realistic chance at all, to lock up Fernandez.
In their effort to keep their better young players, the Marlins also have made long-term offers to outfielder Christian Yelich and shortstop Adeiny Hechavarria, and they’re due to make an offer early this week to outfielder Marcell Ozuna. Perhaps their chances to extend one or more of those fine players is somewhat better than it is with Fernandez, who thus far hasn’t suggested any inclination to do such a long deal so early in his career.
Heyman also says that the Fernandez contract would include a pair of club options that would take him through his age 30 season.
Even if the extensions don’t get done, Miami has its head in the right place. The oldest of the four players is Hechavarria, who turns 26 in April. Yelich will be 23 in December, Fernandez turned 22 in July, and Ozuna turned 24 last month.
It would make sense for Miami to look to ink Yelich, Ozuna, and Fernandez, but Hechavarria is the bizarre choice – he’s the oldest member of their core (which includes Stanton), is the worst player of the bunch, and has the lowest ceiling. Getting a deal done with him, but none of the three others, would probably end up being the worst case scenario for Miami this winter.
