Jose Fernandez

We better have a good excuse if we're going to put a modern pitcher in the company of Randy Johnson and Pedro Martinez. Their names are not to be used lightly.

Currently providing a good excuse, however, is Jose Fernandez.

The Miami Marlins' Jose Fernandez twirled seven shutout innings on Sunday in a 1-0 victory over the New York Mets, scattering four hits, no walks and matching a career high with 14 strikeouts.

The proper response? An appreciative nod.

On Monday, the Los Angeles Dodgers and Miami Marlins will kick off a four-game series in Southern California.

Put Scott Boras, Jeffrey Loria and David Samson in a room, and a reality television producer would salivate at the possibilities. It's a group with so much potential for dysfunction that Bravo might consider ditching The Real Housewives series just to acquire the rights.

The outspoken, bullish agent (Boras), the wacky owner (Loria) and president (Samson) have the kind of volatile personalities that could cause a kerfuffle in 2016.

The Miami Marlins have a "tentative game plan" to put ace starting pitcher Jose Fernandez on an innings limit for the upcoming season, which the team "will review with Jose in spring training,” according to president of baseball operations Michael Hill (via Jon Morosi of FoxSports.com).  

Jose Fernandez and the Miami Marlins appear to be destined for a divorce by the time the hard-hurling right-hander hits free agency in 2018.

Continue for updates.

First, let's get this out of the way: Jose Fernandez won't come cheap, if he comes at all.

The Miami Marlins are under no obligation to trade the 23-year-old budding ace. And if they do, they'll demand a king's ransom.

It's already Week 7 of the 2015-16 MLB offseason, and Clayton Kershaw still needs a sidekick.

From figuring out who will be backing up baseball's nastiest starter at Dodger Stadium to trying to explain why so many prominent free-agent bats remain unsigned, there are all sorts of questions to ponder as 2016 inches ever closer.

Clown noses, check. Circus music, check.

But under the Miami big top, would the Marlins really trade ace Jose Fernandez now? When they've got him under team control for another three years?

Johnny Cueto and Jose Fernandez are just two of the big league stars whose future has yet to be determined as the winter meetings recede into the background and the 2015-2016 MLB offseason rolls along.

In addition to Cueto, there are at least a couple of prominent players who are still waiting to hit the free-agent jackpot. Meanwhile, Fernandez isn't the only dynamic major leaguer who just can't seem to shake all those pesky trade rumors.