Kevin Millwood cleared waivers but two other Mariners starters were claimed by rival teams, Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports reports (Twitter links). Jason Vargas and Felix Hernandez were claimed, but they aren't going anywhere, according to Morosi.
Millwood, a free agent this offseason, can now be traded to any team. He'd be eligible for postseason rosters if Seattle trades him before midnight tonight. Otherwise he can still be traded, but only as a regular season player. He earns a $1MM salary and has a 4.28 ERA with 6.2 K/9 and 3.0 BB/9 in 145 innings.
Vargas would be more than a rental, since he’s arbitration eligible again this offseason. The left-hander earns $4.85MM this season and can expect a raise to $8MM or so for 2013. Vargas, 29, has a 3.90 ERA with 5.7 K/9 and 2.3 BB/9 in 184 2/3 innings with Seattle.
It would be a major surprise if Hernandez were traded. The 26-year-old is a leading Cy Young candidate again with an AL-best 2.43 ERA in 196 2/3 innings. He'll earn $19.5MM in 2013 and $20MM in 2014 under his current contract.
If the Mariners are serious about trading Vargas or Hernandez — and there’s no indication this is the case — they could wait until the offseason when more bidders emerge. For now GM Jack Zduriencik can only discuss trade scenarios with the team(s) that won the claims on his pitchers.
Red Sox claim Felix prelude to big trade lol
I doubt that there’;ll be any trade, but I can *easily* see the Red Sox putting in the claim. They’re a team that could easily afford to take over his salary and would have a desire for him. Some teams might have the desire, but not the ability to take on his salary.
Regardless, I think that it’s moot. he’s not going anywhere…
I agree. removing Hernandez from topics would save a lot of wasted typespace.
About the only way that the M’s would entertain an offer for King Felix would be if the other team totally blew them away with a totally ridiculous offer, of something like the 5 best prospects in their system. And I sure don’t see the Red Sox being that stupid…
The obvious usual suspects in a deal for King Felix, the Red Sox and Yankees being prime ones (and now lets add in the Dodgers), don’t make the best trading partners right now. The M’s will want MLB-ready prospects and a number of them. Both the Yankees and the Red Sox have more interesting talent further away, which makes them too risky, not to mention, wouldn’t help the M’s now, something they’ll want if they were ever to trade King Felix. The Dodgers don’t really have enough talent at the high levels either. It would take a team like the Rangers, who have a number of high-end prospects at the upper levels, and would love to have King Felix fronting their rotation, but the Rangers and the Mariners aren’t going to be making a deal like that within the same division.
That’s ultimately the challenge with moving a King Felix. Getting great value and matching up with the right trading partner. Not quite sure I see it happening, but that may very well be why the M’s put Hernandez on waivers. They want to see who is interested so they can then start reviewing the prospects of that team.
There is no challenge in moving Felix when you have no interest in trading him away.
What is the point of putting Hernandez and Vargas on Waivers? Of course they would be claimed and it is obvious that the Mariners are not going to trade Felix.
Nothing wrong is gauging value around the league and how much they value your players, almost everyone goes on waivers.
I kinda get putting Vargas on waivers but everyone knows Hernadez’s value is very high and most MLB teams if not all would be interested in getting this guy.
I think the point in putting Hernandez and Vargas on waivers is not to gauge interest, but rather hope they fall to a contending team that might be desperate enough to trade the farm for a shot. ie. The Angels…
No National League team would have seen an opportunity to acquire Felix, as the Rangers most definitely put in a claim… but I’m not sure if the Rangers would put in a claim for Vargas.
I don’t get it — people say star players get waived & claimed all the time & that it’s commonplace in the MLB. It’s no big deal, right? They even say teams waive players they have no intention of moving — so why waive them? Why put King Felix on waivers if you’re not at least willing to listen to offers for him? …
Teams do this to gauge interest, see if they get luck with prospects, or if they have a chance to dump salary for an overpaid player they certainly will do that.
how can they listen to offers at this point if they don’t put him on waivers? there’s no risk to do so.
I don’t really completely get it- but maybe it’s kind of a statement to Millwood and Vargas, to make it clear that they don’t necessarily want them gone?
Jackie Z is probably looking for some comic relief
Well that’s interesting. The M’s insist, insist and insist that they have no intentions of trading King Felix. If so, why place him on waivers? The only reason teams do that is to possibly work out a trade now, or to see which teams have interest to possibly work out a trade in the offseason.
Well if some team, let’s say the Padres, was willing to give up their entire Top 10 minor league players then you’d have to think the Mariners would be thinking about it.
In essence the Mariners are just checking the temperature.
$500 bil cash and they should absolutely consider it 🙂
Lol.
Well the joke would be on the team that gave the Mariners the cash.
All the Mariners would have to do is wait till Felix was a FA and then spend the cash they were given at the trade.
That’s what the teams always say. Just taking the market’s temperature, or we put many players on to try and obscure the player we really want to trade. It’s just PR speak. The M’s will certainly trade King Felix for the right package, but that package will be less than $500 bil cash or their entire top ten minor league players. The M’s are exploring that market and the price. That’s my only point, but any time I bring this up, it seems to greatly upset Mariner fans.
Almost every player gets put in waivers because there is no reason not to at least gauge the interest in your players from around the league.
The Mariners already have plenty of prospects. They need proven players that can hit and can be a quality starter. So if they were really serious about Felix they will be trading for talent not prospects. Since they know if they can find the salary they can virtually get anyone they want for the king. Vargas or Millwood I can see traded for prospects, not Felix.
The joke is on you for thinking the Rangers wouldn’t claim Felix… You DO know that the AL has priority in claiming Felix, right?? And if the Rangers didn’t, you KNOW the Astros would.
Taking examples literally I see. Good for you.
How do people not understand that almost EVERY player is placed on waivers in August? The mariners have no intention of trading Felix.
Because most fans are impaired in some way and don’t understand how baseball works.
…and those who are impaired also believe that the M’s have no intention of trading King Felix, which means they totally have no idea how baseball works.
They understand that many players (not most) are placed on waivers. It is a mistake to assume the Mariners have *no* intention of trading King Felix. In fact, it’s likely he will be traded at some point over the next sixteen or so months. I don’t question his desire to stay in Seattle, but there is not going to be a substantial hometown discount, and when the Mariners sit down and begin to negotiate an extension and find out where Hernandez views his truth worth, they’re going to realize just how expensive he’s going to be.
I’m sure it gives them an idea but if a team is willing to throw in everything but the kitchen sink they would make the trade
sorry, the sink goes or it’s a deal breaker.
Felix…get ‘er done Ned. I know, not going to happen. Dodgers could offer the M’s their pick of 10 prospects and it wouldn’t be enough due to the lack of high-end talent they have left.
Felix for Kemp, Etheir, Kershaw, and a prospect.
Kemp is on the DL now, no thanks. But no thanks to any of that. Seattle mainly Jack Z would be idiotic to trade the king. It would ruin the fan base after Felix went to the press and said how much he loves Seattle and the fans and he is here to stay.
You think that Seattle would get the bad end of that deal? Really? Kershaw is 24 and has 4 consecutive seasons of 170+ IP and a sub 3 ERA…. not to mention, Kemp is arguably the most valuable CFer not named Trout.
there is no way felix fell to a national league team to claim him.
Like to see White Sox pick up Millwood in a couple of hours
would love to see the red sox throw everything at the mariners for king felix……..probably wont happen but it is possible being that they have a lot of prospects and money and the mariners are atleast 4 to 5 position players away from contending
no they are not. Two, maybe three and they have boatloads of money avaliable and better prospects than the Red Sox do.
lester, buccholz, ellsbury, iglesias, saltalamacchia and what else? for Felix.
any bites on either side?
Gotta think younger. More Like Barnes, Webster, Bradley Jr, Lavarnway, and Cecchini. That would be a decent start, but still would probably have to throw in Bogaerts to make Seattle really think about it.