Felix Hernandez gets $175M

[Mel_13]

Felix Hernandez has agreed to a new seven-year, $175 million contract with the Seattle Mariners, USA Today Sports reported Thursday.

The deal would make Hernandez the highest-paid pitcher in baseball history.

Hernandez, 26, was scheduled to make $19.5 million this season and $20 million in 2014. The new contract will start this season, according to USA Today Sports, and pay the three-time All-Star an annual average salary of $25 million.

The 2010 American League Cy Young Award winner, Hernandez went 13-9 with a 3.06 ERA and 223 strikeouts last season. He has pitched at least 232 innings in each of the last four seasons and owns a career record of 98-76 with a 3.22 ERA in eight years, all with the Mariners.

http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/89...cording-report

[JamStone]

Why not? He's arguably the most talented pitcher in the game and is still really young. Other than Verlander and Kershaw (and maybe Weaver), Felix probably deserves that type of money more than anyone. Of those 3-4 guys, it wouldn't be a travesty for any of them to be the highest paid pitcher. Mariners need him and need him locked up and feeling secure and appreciated. Felix often times over the last couple seasons was the only reason for fans to buy Mariners tickets. Good for him.

[crc21209]

Too bad he's stuck in baseball ....

[Reck]

Too bad he's stuck in baseball ....

He's self serving. I doubt he's interested in winning anything more than a handful of games for himself.

[DUNCANownsKOBE]

"self-serving" as if you wouldn't take $175,000,000

[Reck]

"self-serving" as if you wouldn't take $175,000,000

Actually, that depends.

If a team like the Yankees, Red Sox, Phillies offered me a deal with less money I'd take it.

But Hernandez himself had said before he's only wanted to play for the Mariners since he came to the bigs.

You tell me, knowing how ty the Seattle Mariners are (given that he's already spent quite a few years there) you're actually going to tell me you're going to make a conscious decision to stay on a losing team when there were others, much better teams who have a far greater chance to win the World Series that were willing to have him?

[Mel_13]

Actually, that depends.

If a team like the Yankees, Red Sox, Phillies offered me a deal with less money I'd take it.

But Hernandez himself had said before he's only wanted to play for the Mariners since he came to the bigs.

You tell me, knowing how ty the Seattle Mariners are (given that he's already spent quite a few years there) you're actually going to tell me you're going to make a conscious decision to stay on a losing team when there were others, much better teams who have a far greater chance to win the World Series that were willing to have him?

The deal was actually a 5 year extension worth 135.5M beginning in 2015. His existing deal already guaranteed a total of 39.5M for 2013 and 2014 (the link in the first post now goes to an updated article). Given that he's pitched between 190 and 250 innings every year for the last seven seasons, taking this deal is an absolute no-brainer. Waiting for free agency in 2015, and taking the risk of a career-altering arm injury in the interim, makes little sense.

[JamStone]

Not only that he should take the extension now since his free agency is two years away and he could risk losing much more money if he encountered a serious injury, but certain athletes might relish an opportunity to help turn things around for a struggling franchise than to hop on a perennial powerhouse like the Yankees. In some cases, you could argue a guy doesn't want the pressure of a big market like people assume with Greinke, or that they're just about the biggest paycheck like A-Rod when he signed that big contract in Texas. But with Felix, I don't think he's scared to pitch in a big market. I just think he's very comfortable in Seattle and the Mariners made a huge investment giving him this extension and he wants to help turn things around for that franchise. If Seattle ever does turn things around, Felix would get way more accolades than if he jumped ship to the Yankees and won there.

[DUNCANownsKOBE]

Actually, that depends.

If a team like the Yankees, Red Sox, Phillies offered me a deal with less money I'd take it.

But Hernandez himself had said before he's only wanted to play for the Mariners since he came to the bigs.

You tell me, knowing how ty the Seattle Mariners are (given that he's already spent quite a few years there) you're actually going to tell me you're going to make a conscious decision to stay on a losing team when there were others, much better teams who have a far greater chance to win the World Series that were willing to have him?

It's been said already, but if I was one pitch away from Tommy John Surgery and 2 years away from being able to get a deal from Boston or NY in free agency, I'd take this extension without much thought. It's not like the extension means he's stuck in Seattle either. If they still suck 2 years from now he can request a trade like a whole bunch of other players in his position do and a team like the Yankees and Sox will get in a bidding war over him.

[Mel_13]

Source: Felix Hernandez arm at issue

As the Seattle Mariners have been in discussions with Felix Hernandez about a record-setting extension, concern has developed over the condition of his pitching elbow, a source says.

The team and its franchise player had talked about a framework of a deal that would pay $175 million over the next seven seasons.

But as of Sunday afternoon, sources say, the Mariners and Hernandez are not close to finishing an extension, because there are issues that the two sides are sorting through.

The elbow issue is perceived by at least one of the parties in the deal as being a possible impediment to the completion of the new contract.

"It's an issue," said one source.

http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/89...al-source-says