So, yeah, the response to Wednesday’s “Seattle should probably trade Felix Hernandez” column wasn’t entirely positive. I understand it was a case of raining on the parade, and I’m sorry about that. Still, it was an angle of the story that needed to be covered.
Now that I’ve had a day to think more on the subject and read all of the comments posted in response, I have to say that I’m more firmly in the “should trade” corner than ever.
This is not a team that is a couple of quick fixes away from taking on the Rangers. There is some talent around, but the only likely position player star in the organization is Jesus Montero. While I still think Dustin Ackley is a long-term regular, he has regressed this year. Kyle Seager and Mike Zunino will be nice complimentary pieces, as might some others. But the team needs some star power in the field.
The pitching side is more promising. With prospects like Taijuan Walker and Danny Hultzen perhaps ready to contribute alongside King Felix next season, the Mariners could quickly assemble one of the AL’s best rotations. Or perhaps not. Even the best pitching prospects are no more than 50-50 shots. If either Walker or Hultzen becomes a No. 2 and the other flames out, the Mariners should still consider themselves lucky.
And that’s why I just don’t see how the Mariners are better off with Hernandez than they would be with the three or four pieces they could get for him. It’s not beyond the realm of possibility that they could take a step forward next year and then find themselves in serious contention in 2014, but it would take a serious stroke of luck.
The Mariners have had Felix for eight years now and still haven’t made the playoffs. Here’s what stands out to me: since the beginning of 2010, they’re a combined 48-44 when Hernandez starts. Even when they’re throwing one of the game’s three best pitchers, they’re still barely better than a .500 team.
The Mariners don’t need to trade Hernandez for financial reasons; they need to trade him because they simply need more talent. If they can get a premium young shortstop and a couple of more promising bats for him, they’d be a better bet going forward than they are now. The current one-man team isn’t going to take them anywhere.