Christian Yelich said the September 2016 death of ace starting pitcher Jose Fernandez served as an unexpected turning point for the Miami Marlins organization, leading to the offseason overhaul that included his trade to the Milwaukee Brewers last month.
On Tuesday, Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com passed along comments from Yelich, who said the Marlins felt they were in a position to contend for a World Series title until Fernandez died in a boating accident:
"From talking to the guys there—the guys who got traded and some of the guys who are still there—the consensus from our clubhouse is that everything changed after the tragedy with Jose.