Marlins offered Jose Fernandez to D-Backs in 2016

The Miami Marlins were apparently close to trading pitcher Jose Fernandez before the 2016 season, but the deal ultimately fell through.

Former Marlins president David Samson said the team offered Fernandez to the Arizona Diamondbacks in exchange for five players, including pitcher Patrick Corbin, third baseman Brandon Drury, and outfielder A.J. Pollock, according to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald.

"Arizona turned it down," Samson said. "We thought it was going to happen but we never had any agreement."

The impetus for the Marlins exploring a trade for their star pitcher, according to Samson, was that Fernandez rejected a contract extension that winter and ownership didn't expect him to change his mind before he was scheduled to hit free agency following the 2018 season. The team's offer apparently topped $30 million.

Fernandez died in a boat accident near the end of the 2016 campaign.