Marlins ace pitcher Jose Fernandez is reportedly upset about a string of moves that his team has recently made, most notably the termination of pitching coach Chuck Hernandez. Now, the Cuban American righty is expected to request for at least $30 million annual salary following his free agency in 2018, a figure that the Marlins do not plan on paying, according to Miami Herald's Barry Jackson.
The team are "under the impression" that Fernandez' agents will be seeking the said amount. As the Marlins are not expected to meet that number, they have also made peace with the fact that they will not be retaining the pitcher past 2018, Jackson wrote. The latter is a likely scenario since the club may want to trade the young hurler and get something in return rather than lose him for nothing. Weeks ago, the Los Angeles Dodgers were reportedly discussing a possible deal with Fernandez, although the player's price was supposed to be too high.
It is not surprising that Fernandez' camp would ask for $30 million per year. The league has already seen a significant amount of money given out to David and Zack Greinke Price this off-season. So the real question here is whether Fernandez can prove his durability.
The 23-year-old missed big chunks of the 2015 season due to a Tommy John surgery to address a shoulder injury. However, he was dominant in his 11 starts; his 6-1 record and 2.92 ERA translated into trade talks among some of the MLB's big-money franchises shortly after the season ended.
Fernandez, who won NL Rookie of the Year in 2013, is set to earn $2.8 million this year in his first year of arbitration, and will have a couple more years after that before being a part of the 2018 free agent class.
Meanwhile, former Boston Red Sox reliever Craig Breslow has reportedly found a new home. The 35-year-old pitcher has agreed to a minor league deal with the Miami Marlins, according to Rob Bradford of WEEI.com.
Aside from that, the left-handed pitcher will also receive an invitation to big-league spring training where he will attempt to make the team as either a starter or a reliever. Breslow is expected to compete in the Marlins bullpen and could make $1.5 million should he make the major league team, but he also has the option to opt out of the contract if he does not, according to the report.
In over 10 major-league seasons, Breslow was 22-27 with a 3.31 ERA in a total of 524 career appearances. During his last season with the Red Sox where he was -4 with a 4.15 ERA in 45 appearances. For the first time in four years, Breslow will not be reporting to Boston's camp for spring training. The Miami Marlins is his seventh club as he already spent time with the San Diego Padres, Cleveland Indians, Minnesota Twins, Oakland Athletics, Arizona Diamondbacks and, most recently, the Boston Red Sox.
