The Seattle Mariners knew taking Felix Hernandez to arbitration would be a no-win situation, and general manager Jack Zduriencik avoided that Monday by signing his ace to a one-year, $3.8 million contract.
That gave the 22-year-old a $3.26 million raise, and was the first step toward forging a long-term commitment with Hernandez, whose career in Seattle has been anything but the picture of consistency. Considered one of the best young pitchers in Baseball, Hernandez will report to spring training next month and begin working with the fourth pitching coach in his major league career, Rick Adair. In the previous three seasons, Hernandez was coached by Bryan Price, Rafael Chavez and Mel Stottlemyre.
"It was important to get this out of the way and avoid any possible distraction," Zduriencik said.
In Seattle's 101-loss season last year, Hernandez went 9-11 with a 3.45 earned run average in a career-high 200 2/3 innings. In 11 no-decisions, his ERA was 2.72, and he allowed two runs or fewer in nine of those games.
Hernandez has won 39 games in 3? seasons with Seattle.
Expected to be the Mariners' opening night starter this season, Hernandez was arbitration-eligible for the first time, and the Seattle front office quietly worried that an arbitration hearing would be a major distraction.
Now, Hernandez will have to worry only about pitching, first for Team Venezuela in the World Baseball Classic, then with the Mariners.
While Seattle had tried and failed over the past two springs to sign Hernandez to a multi-year contract, Zduriencik decided to lock him up for 2009 - and discuss a longer contract later.
Hernandez can't become a free agent until after the 2011 season.
In a career that began late in the 2005 season, Hernandez has gone 39-36 in 104 starts with Seattle, and while his maturity has cost him some games his run support has cost him even more.
The promise he showed in 2007, when he went 14-7 with a 3.92 ERA, continued last season - the wins just weren't there, though his nine victories led the team. A man with a fastball that reaches the high-90 mph range, a sharp breaking curve and an improving change-up, Hernandez is still growing up on the mound.
The Mariners want to make sure he does that in a Seattle uniform.
By signing Hernandez, the Mariners cut their arbitration cases to two: pitchers Erik Bedard and Aaron Heilman.
Mariners contribute to WBC
Sixteen players in the Mariners organization have been named to provisional rosters for the World Baseball Classic. Ten are on Seattle's 40-man roster.
Venezuela will be represented by five Mariners: pitchers Felix Hernandez, Cesar Jimenez and Carlos Silva, infielder Jose Lopez and outfielder Endy Chavez.
Japan (catcher Kenji Johjima and outfielder Ichiro Suzuki) and the Netherlands (outfielders Greg Halman and Kalian Sams) will have two Mariners each.
The rest are: pitcher Ryan Rowland-Smith, Australia; pitcher Phillippe Aumont, Canada; outfielder Kuo-Hui Lo, Chinese Taipei; infielder Adrian Beltre, Dominican Republic; infielder Alex Liddi, Italy; pitcher Manuel Campos, Panama; and infielder Anthony Phillips, South Africa.
The tournament starts March 5 in Tokyo and ends March 23 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles.
blogs.thenewstribune.com/Mariners
- - -
KING FELIX
Statistics for last season and his major league career for Seattle Mariners pitcher Felix Hernandez:
G IP H K BB W-L ERA
2008 31 200.2 198 175 80 9-11 3.45
Career 104 666.1 663 593 216 39-36 3.80
