Heyman tweets that Felix Hernandez and the Mariners are making progress on a five or six year deal but will “do the 1-year thing first to buy time.” Makes sense. No sense in rushing this thing.
Hernandez made $3.8 million in 2009. No telling what a one year deal would mean for him money wise, but all accounts of negotiations so far portray it as a constructive thing, with the Mariners and Hernandez’s Alan Nero working together well. The Mariners want Hernandez, and they’ve made a lot of serious investments in the team’s future this year which should give Hernandez confidence in them.
Note to the San Francisco Giants: watch what the Mariners do with King Felix and do more or less what they do when you get down to business with Tim Lincecum.