MLB trade rumors: Marlins not shopping Jose Fernandez, team president says

Arthur Weinstein

MLB trade rumors: Marlins not shopping Jose Fernandez, team president says image

Numerous major league teams have contacted the Marlins about young stars Jose Fernandez and Marcell Ozuna. That does not mean the Marlins are actively shopping their staff ace and promising young center fielder.

Marlins President Michael Hill held a conference call Thursday to dispel rumors Miami is trying to trade the two players.

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"Not sure where all of that came from,” Hill said, via MLB.com. “(Fernandez) sits at the front of our rotation. We are not shopping Jose Fernandez. I don't know what more I can say. He's a good pitcher, one of the best in the league, so you're going to get asked about him. But we are not shopping Jose Fernandez."

The 23-year-old Fernandez, who is eligible for arbitration in 2016, is regarded as one of the top young arms in baseball, although injuries have limited him to only 19 starts the past two seasons. Since debuting in 2013, however, he’s 22-9 (including 17-0 at home) with a 2.40 ERA and 1.014 WHIP.

As for 25-year-old Ozuna, who slugged 23 home runs with an OPS of .772 in 2014 before slumping last year (10 home runs, .691 OPS), Hill said it’s only natural teams are asking about him.

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"Contrary to some of the myriad of rumors out there, we are not actively shopping him,” Hill said. “Clubs are coming after him because he's a talented player. If you have talented players, clubs are going to call and ask for them. When someone calls, we listen to see if it is something that makes sense, both in the short term and the long term."

Arthur Weinstein