MLB: Miami Marlins at Cleveland Indians

Miami Marlins starting pitcher Jose Fernandez (16) throws a pitch during the second inning against the Cleveland Indians at Progressive Field.

(Ken Blaze-USA Today Sports)

Whether the Yankees make the 2016 postseason, one thing is going to be clear this coming offseason: Starting pitching is necessary for general manager Brian Cashman.



If the Yankees are going to expedite the rebuilding process started at this year's trade deadline, at least one high-end veteran arm must arrive to complement Masahiro Tanaka atop the team's rotation. While Michael Pineda and CC Sabathia can fill out the back end of the staff and intriguing youngsters like Chad Green, Luis Cessa, Luis Severino and Justus Sheffield could play a role, none is a sure thing.



And with a barren free agent crop of arms, Cashman could look to use some of a highly-touted farm system to land a big fish.



According to John Harper of the New York Daily News, Miami Marlins ace Jose Fernandez could be that fish--literally and figuratively:



Perhaps the most do-able and desirable of those potential trades is Fernandez, mainly because he'll be two years away from free agency after this season, and the Marlins almost surely won't be able to lock him up, especially after they committed $325 million to Giancarlo Stanton.



As an executive from one team told me last week, "They're going to trade him. It's just a matter of when."



Harper went on to explain what a Yankees-Marlins deal for Fernandez could look like:



So what would it take to get him? The executive I spoke to thinks it would take four of the Yankees' young players, two of them blue-chippers.



So what would it take? Probably a package of Clint Frazier, the dynamic outfield prospect they acquired for Andrew Miller, as well as one of their highly-touted shortstop prospects, Gleyber Torres or Jorge Mateo, plus a couple of young pitchers, likely including Justus Sheffield, the lefthander in the Miller deal.



If that sounds like a steep price, well, it is. But Fernandez truly is one of baseball's best pitchers. Heading into play on September 5, Fernandez, 13-8, owns a 3.03 ERA in 160.1 innings for Miami. His peripheral numbers (2.36 FIP, 12.6 SO/9, 4.48 SO/BB) suggest a pitcher even better than those numbers and poised for great success in the future.

Projecting 2017 Yankees rotation



Fernandez, 24, owns a 2.62 ERA since debuting in 2013. Among starters with at least 425 innings pitched over that span, his ERA ranks third in all of baseball. Only Clayton Kershaw and Jake Arrieta have better marks.



The Marlins ace is under team control for two more seasons. He'll be a free agent after 2018 as part of what could be the best group of free agents in baseball history.

Joe Giglio may be reached at jgiglio@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JoeGiglioSports. Find NJ.com on Facebook.