Marlins president: 'There is no rift' with Jose Fernandez

Miami Marlins president David Samson attempted last week to dispel reports suggesting tension between his club's front office and right-hander Jose Fernandez, whose name has surfaced in trade rumors since the offseason began.

"There is no rift with Jose," Samson told MLB.com's Joe Frisaro. "He wasn't available for trade, but people still came to us, and we were OK with that, because you never know, someone may have an idea that you didn't think of. But it just didn't happen. I don't see it happening."

Last month, a report out of Miami suggested the Marlins' front office was unhappy with Fernandez's behavior in 2015, when the 23-year-old approached president of baseball operations Michael Hill in the clubhouse on at least two occasions and asked, "When are you going to trade me?"

Shortly thereafter, now-deposed manager Dan Jennings defended Fernandez, telling MLB Network Radio he had "zero problem" with the Cuban defector, but with Fernandez's name frequently popping up in trade rumors, his future with the club looked tenuous at times.

And while the Marlins, according to Samson, never initiated trade discussions involving Fernandez, numerous reports indicated Miami had dialogue with several teams about him.

Before acquiring Shelby Miller from the Atlanta Braves, the Arizona Diamondbacks reportedly discussed a blockbuster deal with Miami for Fernandez, while the Los Angeles Dodgers were still having dialogue with the Marlins about a deal for Fernandez earlier this week, according to Jon Morosi of FOX Sports.

Fernandez, who remains under team control through 2018, owns a 2.40 ERA over parts of three major-league seasons, and crafted a 2.92 ERA with a career-best 5.64 strikeout-to-walk ratio over 11 starts in 2015 after returning from Tommy John surgery in July.