http://tinyurl.com/7npsx86
The Seattle Mariners have insisted they are not trading Felix Hernandez, who
has two years remaining on his contract at $40.5 million. It's a policy they
need to rethink for two reasons: his obvious blockbuster value as a young ace
available to a team for a minimum of three pennant races, and the extreme
risks and costs of keeping him beyond this deal.
Let's be clear: Seattle GM Jack Zduriencik has given no indications in public
or private that he would even consider trading Hernandez. Asked if Zduriencik
might budge on making Hernandez available, one GM replied, "Not sure. He's
consistently said no. But he did on [Michael] Pineda, too."
Trading an ace and franchise icon like Hernandez in midseason is messy stuff.
Hernandez has a limited no-trade clause (he can block a deal to 10 teams),
he's extremely popular among an increasingly disillusioned fan base and you
run the risk of fracturing the club/player relationship if you still have the
player after weeks of trade rumors. The safe thing to do is defer a decision
on Hernandez until after next season, when the Mariners will either have to
sign him to an extension or let him enter his walk season in 2014 at age 28.
The idea of trading Hernandez should be considered only because the Mariners
are so bad