Major League Baseball history was made on Tuesday with the signing of the largest ever contract for a pitcher. Usually when this kind of news comes out, baseball fans wonder which massive payroll team is pulling in more big names and packing rosters with numerous All-Star candidates. Clubs like the New York Yankees, Philadelphia Phillies, Boston Red Sox, and Los Angeles Angels are typically the ones making headlines in the offseason, with their payrolls all surpassing $150 million. This time, though, it is the Seattle Mariners who have jumped into the spotlight with their contract extension finalized with pitcher Felix Hernandez.
The terms of the deal are a whopping $175 million over the next seven years, which means that Hernandez will be receiving an average of $25 million per year. For a team whose total payroll last year was only $81 million, this contract extension makes King Felix the cornerstone of an organization that has gone nowhere but down in the last decade. With the departure of Ichiro Suzuki last season to the Yankees, the Mariners lost their last great hitter and fell to the darkest depths of the MLB in terms of batting.
Management over in Seattle took quite a bet in extending Hernandez’s contract for seven years, but they really did not have much of a choice. This team was last place in the entire MLB last year in batting average, on-base percentage, and slugging percentage, which begs the question of why they decided to dish out $25 million a year on a pitcher instead of trying to acquire a competent batter or two. The highest batting average on the team last season for a starter was catcher Jesus Montero at .260.
Ensuring that Hernandez remained a Mariner was imperative. After all, at this point in time, he is the only thing about the program that holds much promise. Their number-two pitcher last year, Jason Vargas, signed a one-year deal with the Angels in January, leaving the team with only a meager set of starters who will struggle for winning records. Hernandez’s contract would have expired in two years had he not agreed to this deal and the Mariners wisely recognized that they would have had quite a battle on their hands with teams like the Red Sox and Angels, who will be on the prowl for additional pitching.
The Mariners are attempting to rebuild a fallen franchise around Hernandez and have decided to start on the defensive end. This all relies on the health of their ace pitcher, though, which has become a relevant concern in recent months. As the player with the most innings pitched before the age of 26 in baseball history, his longevity ought to be an area of concern. Paying such big money conveys the expectation that Hernandez will be producing for all seven years, but at this rate it is a legitimate concern that he may overwork himself as he ages.
This is why teams generally do not extend contracts for so many seasons, but what’s more worrying is that Hernandez is already having elbow problems. The Mariners are putting all their eggs in one basket in this deal for a pitcher who has lost velocity on his fastball in three straight seasons. If a team does want to make a long term contract extension, they could work an injury contingency plan into the agreement in case health becomes an issue, as the Yankees did with CC Sabathia on his extension. There has been no news of a risk hedging of this kind thus far.
In the next few years, Hernandez will continue to be an important asset for the Mariners as they try to keep runs allowed down and give their offense a chance to bring in more wins. He is still one of the best pitchers in the league, with a 2.81 ERA (2nd in MLB) and 894 strikeouts (3rd in MLB) since his start in 2009.
It is a big statement coming from the Mariners, in giving out their highest total salary contract in the franchise’s history. They are setting their base for what hopefully will be a playoff contender in the coming seasons, especially since the 2001 season was the last time they even made it to the playoffs.
Every team that finds itself in a rut must have a player around whom they can rebuild. With the Mariners’ offense not looking like it will be getting any better, pitching is where their strength will have to lie. This lower budget organization from Seattle showed the proper initiative necessary to get back to winning ways, but now must trust that their investment in King Felix pays out.
