Should The New York Yankees Inquire About Jose Fernandez?

By Caleb Gebrewold | Nov 23, 2015

Jose Fernandez has been one of the best pitchers in baseball since debuting in 2013. Although he missed time in 2014 and 2015 due to Tommy John surgery, the 23-year-old finished third in National League Cy Young voting in 2013, while also winning the Rookie of the Year.

In his Major League career, Fernandez has pitched 289 innings, to a 2.40 ERA, while striking out 336 batters. Fernandez is still under team control for three years which makes it shocking that there are rumors that the Miami Marlins might already be looking to trade their young ace. If the Marlins are indeed ready to ship Fernandez out, should the New York Yankees inquire?

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Even with the injury issues, Fernandez is unquestionably an ace, and would elevate the Yankees rotation to one of the best in the American League. Combining his talent and young age, acquiring Fernandez would require a huge package, built around Luis Severino and/or Aaron Judge, with other prospects also thrown in.

As much as I would love to have Fernandez on the Yankees, as he is one of my favorite young talents in baseball, it is hard to envision a scenario where the Yankees are able to put together the best package for Fernandez without trading Severino, Judge, and possibly Greg Bird.

If I were Brian Cashman, at that price, I would hang up the phone. Fernandez is a great pitcher, and will be for a very long time, but the Yankees have spent several years building up their farm system, and they should not blow it up, as the players on the cusp of becoming regular contributors.

If Fernandez could be had for a lesser package built around one of the three previously mentioned names and several of the Yankees second-tier prospects, then by all means, the move should be made, but with teams such as the Boston Red Sox and Los Angeles Dodgers also looking for pitching, and having more minor league talent to offer, the odds of such a move happening are slim to none.

Fernandez should be on the Yankees radar three summers from now, along with Bryce Harper, in what could be a star-studded free-agent class, that also includes Manny Machado and Matt Harvey, all of whom will be under 30.

With all the money coming off the books, the Yankees could pull off another great free agency haul bringing in Fernandez, Harper, and Machado, all of whom will be 26. For now, however, Cashman should not blow apart his farm system for one player, even if it is a player as talented as Fernandez.

What do you think Yankees fans? Should the Yankees blow apart their farm system for Fernandez, or wait three years and attempt to acquire him in free agency? Let us know in the comments below.

Next: Yankees and Cubs have Discussed Trade Involving Brett Gardner, Starlin Castro

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