Mariners ace Felix Hernandez can block trades to ten teams, and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports learned eight of them: the Yankees, Mets, Red Sox, Cubs, Angels, Dodgers, Rangers, and Phillies. Morosi adds:
We shouldn’t infer from that list that Hernandez wants to avoid large-market clubs. Rather, astute players (and agents) will often protect against trades to high-revenue teams, because those clubs (a) are most likely to be interested in acquiring expensive players and (b) have the wherewithal to offer financial inducements that encourage players to waive the clauses.
Hernandez, 25 next month, is owed $70.5MM over the next four years under the contract he signed in January of 2010. Many teams would salivate if he were made available, but GM Jack Zduriencik recently told SI's Jon Heyman, "He's not going anywhere. We've got him. We'll keep him. We're not going to move him."
I don't see any reason to doubt Zduriencik or expect him to change his mind. 2011 may be a regrouping year for the Mariners, but they're surely expecting to contend before 2014.
as homer would say, “bor-ing!!”
I hope you mean a yankee homer!
I can see Heyman had nothing much else to write about except something that is pretty obvious. Thanks for the Old news Heyman.
I think it was good reporting from Heyman to get the GM to say something so firm about not trading the player.
Yeah but Jack Z was already asked this well in the past to both Heyman and others.
Oh noes! He can block trades to New York! Whatever shall we do?!
How often are we going to re-hash this non-story?
Two to three times per week seems to be about the average.
Too bad he can block trades to Philadelphia. They could really use another good starting pitcher.
Seriously, their rotation sucks.
We will see about that.
“i’ll gladly pay you tuesday for a starting pitcher today”
-B.Cashman doing his best Whimpy impersonation.
Well the guy did win the Cy Young and is on a horrible team. We will be hearing this story until the Mariners can turn it around. So, expect to see these stories for at least this summer…
Nice try Tim!! Yankee fans aren’t buying it!
Heymen wrote that article on the 7th. Don’t blame him for MLBTR reposting old news.
the new element is the addition of details from Morosi.
it would be nice to see felix in toronto
You mean like, on a holiday?
on a *halladay*
I don’t get it…..:)
so he isn’t available for manny parra STILL? Call his bluff doug melvin!
He’ll be a Yankee by July the latest and the Mariners will be the new “we’re gonna be awesome in 3-4 years” KC Royals.
I’m betting he won’t…
I seriously laughed at your comment. There’s no way Felix is traded for the next three (3) years.
Except the M’s are a large market team with much higher revenue streams than KC. The earliest Felix will be available is November 2013 and that’s assuming the Mariners plethora of young talents don’t amount to a winning club by then. They will have the money in 2012 to sign a big FA or two as well.
Seeing that the Mariners could get an identical package in the 2013 winter meetings if they so choose, and they turned a profit last season with a $86 million payroll and 101 losses, in what frame of mind is trading felix even relevant? Like Rosendumbass even pointed out, the Ms 2013 starting rotation could be Felix, Pineda, Cole, Paxton, which could be 2010 Giants-esque.
I find all this talk from these ‘credible’ reporters to be irresponsible and pretty boring.
We. Are. Not. Trading. Felix.
Period.
DISCLAIMER: I AM NOT A YANKS FAN EXPECTING TO TRADE FOR FELIX.
There’s no way any team is going to offer the same insane package everyone expects Felix to warrant today with 4 years left on his deal that they would with 3 years left. I mean, let’s use logic. Why would anyone offer the same value in prospects for 75% less time of usage? And please don’t talk about extensions because that comes at a hefty $23 mil per price tag in addition to the prospects traded.
Thank god the M’s took the bait on Smoak.
I meant ofcourse…” that they would with *1* years left”.
So a package for Cy Young winning Felix centered around Montero is only there because he has 4 years left on a deal that will pay him 19, 20 and 20 the next three years after this year (not far off of your ‘hefty 23 per’ comment). That same Montero that you desperately tried to give us along with 2-3 other players for a 3 month rental of a Cy Young winning pitcher last June?
The package will still be there.
a) Montero and others will hopefully be productive mlb players 3 years from not or bouncing around AAA somewhere. If they are productive mlb players then their 3 or 4 years of control together collectively are more valuable than Felix’s 1 year or less of productivity. If they are still in the minors then obviously the M’s wouldn’t want them.
b) Logically, the value of Felix for 4 years is much less than his value for 1 year or less. Why would a team pay the same price for less years of production? Would pay the same price for a 2009 Mercedez in 2011 that you would in 2014? Of course not. Why? Less years of high end usage.
c) Felix has a limited market. Simply put, fewer teams can afford to pay him $20 mil per. Those teams that can afford him might have different needs in 2013. Using the Yanks as an example:
Between the possibility of prospects graduating and maturing to top mlb starters (the likes of Banuelos, Betances, Brackman, and others) plus the FA classes of 2012 and 2013 the likes of Weaver, Cain, Wainright, Hamels, Liriano, Danks, Billingsley, Marcum, Greinke, J.Sanchez, A. Sanchez, Zambrano, Oswalt, Dempster and Lewis will all hit the open market for Felix last year of his current contract. Plus others like Haren, E. Sanatana, Peavy, Floyd and Hudson will all be on the last year of their deals as well. Who is to say that between now and 2014 the Yanks or any other team might not fill their needs elsewhere and become less inclined to trade a huge prospect pile for Felix?
There is simply no intelligent way that you can say that Felix will draw the same value of prospects in 2014 as he would right now, or next year or in 2013.
AND LET ME MAKE IT CLEAR. I AM NOT ADVOCATING HIM BEING TRADED AT ALL, REGARDLESS OF WHAT TEAM. But your comment just struck me as irrational.
excuse the obvious typos. I was trying to type while on a conf call and didn’t spell check.
b) “Logically, the value of Felix for 4 years is much *MORE* than his ….”
“Would *you* pay the same price for a 2009 Mercedez in *2014* that you would in *2011*?
“..Dempster and Lewis will all hit the open market *before* Felix’s last year of his current contract”.
While there is credence to the ‘logic’ of what value should be given newness or years remaining, that simply isn’t the case in trades. Players have ceilings for what they will be traded for, and more often than not with superstars that ceiling is met regardless of time left on a contract.
Just to clear this up since you missed my reference, Cliff Lee was traded three times in the last two years. Once with 1 1/2 years left, once with 1 year left, and again with 1/2 a year left of control. The best package he was traded for was with 1/2 a year left, and the 2nd best package (in the Mariner’s eyes) would have been the package NY offered also with 1/2 a year left. BUT HOW COULD THIS BE?!?!?! HE HAD MORE VALUE WITH 1 1/2 YEARS LEFT?!?!?
To drive this home further, you think Felix’s trade value is high now, what will the Yankees pay in June when they are 9 games back of the Sox and have near identical records to the Jays and Rays? Price just went up.
There’s always teams that will take a generational pitcher off your hands if you so choose to move him. That’s all I’m saying. And while I don’t literally mean that the ‘package will still be there’ as in Montero, et al in 2013, but rather an identically valued package of prospects will be available from someone, somewhere. Bank on it.
At least the caveat here for you is, you’re in better shape anyway!! Because according to your manager, phil hughes is a better pitcher!! Seeing that he took him, a guy with a lower WAR than Doug Fister and Jason Vargas, for the All-Star team over Felix. Guess the lack of common sense must be in the water in the bronx! 🙂
Seattle can keep Hernandez forever. When you sign a long term contract with a loser, you are not championship material. Keep pitching where there is no pressure and no expectations.
You mad bro?
Mad, no bro. Just know what makes some athletes win championships and what makes some not.
So Felix doesn’t have what it takes to win a championship? He is a loser? I AM SO SORRY! I forgot baseball isn’t a team sport, and relies on 1 player to carry a team to victory! Come on dude, just because you are upset you won’t get Felix, no need to make up such tales of stupidity. I have a question! What makes some athletes win championships, and some not?? You claim to know this… I would think being a talented player as himself would help, and having a team that doesn’t score historically low amounts of runs….PLEASE! Explain this knowledge you have, that everyone else appears to be lacking..