From a May 15, 2011 USA Today article about Michael Pineda:
The formidable Hernandez-Pineda combination already has half of the team's 16 victories. Hernandez turned 25 in April. So it's obvious where the Mariners can find a foundation for climbing out of the AL West basement.
"That would be good," says Hernandez, who doesn't exactly endorse the long-term plan. "Me, I do my own thing. I've got three more years here (before he can be a free agent)."
As a Mariners' fan, the above words by Felix make my stomach turn. The last thing I want is for this organization to lose him.
A lot can happen in three years, but the Mariners are in bad shape right now. We have some good prospects, but our system lacks depth and some of our best prospects are two or three years away.
I don't think Felix is interested in the supposed "youth movement" that this organization seems to be aiming for. As I said earlier, our farm system has some pretty good talent, but Ackley is the only elite-level prospect (which is yet to be seen, but he's raking in AAA after a slow start). After that, we have some good youngsters who we can't accurately gauge until another two years at least.
So, the Mariners have a choice to make -- go for the youth movement and risk losing Felix, or go shopping this winter. Prince Fielder is out there but will command a king's ransom and he'll be a full time DH due to Justin Smoak holding down first base.
Felix's comments are ominous. He has always talked about how much he loves Seattle, but the frustration for him is mounting. He went eight innings tonight, giving up three hits and two runs while striking out nine, but got the loss and is now 4-4 on the season with a 3.21 ERA.
In his last 33 decisions, he is 17-16 with an ERA south of 2.50 and his team has lost 101 games in two out of the past three seasons.
Trading him before his contract is up in three years would return a massive haul, but the thought of that just really makes me want to puke. We've seen this way too much in Seattle.
I am not meaning to bring up another thread that talks about trading Felix Hernandez, but his comments in that article have legitimized the discussion a bit more.
This sucks.
The formidable Hernandez-Pineda combination already has half of the team's 16 victories. Hernandez turned 25 in April. So it's obvious where the Mariners can find a foundation for climbing out of the AL West basement.
"That would be good," says Hernandez, who doesn't exactly endorse the long-term plan. "Me, I do my own thing. I've got three more years here (before he can be a free agent)."
As a Mariners' fan, the above words by Felix make my stomach turn. The last thing I want is for this organization to lose him.
A lot can happen in three years, but the Mariners are in bad shape right now. We have some good prospects, but our system lacks depth and some of our best prospects are two or three years away.
I don't think Felix is interested in the supposed "youth movement" that this organization seems to be aiming for. As I said earlier, our farm system has some pretty good talent, but Ackley is the only elite-level prospect (which is yet to be seen, but he's raking in AAA after a slow start). After that, we have some good youngsters who we can't accurately gauge until another two years at least.
So, the Mariners have a choice to make -- go for the youth movement and risk losing Felix, or go shopping this winter. Prince Fielder is out there but will command a king's ransom and he'll be a full time DH due to Justin Smoak holding down first base.
Felix's comments are ominous. He has always talked about how much he loves Seattle, but the frustration for him is mounting. He went eight innings tonight, giving up three hits and two runs while striking out nine, but got the loss and is now 4-4 on the season with a 3.21 ERA.
In his last 33 decisions, he is 17-16 with an ERA south of 2.50 and his team has lost 101 games in two out of the past three seasons.
Trading him before his contract is up in three years would return a massive haul, but the thought of that just really makes me want to puke. We've seen this way too much in Seattle.
I am not meaning to bring up another thread that talks about trading Felix Hernandez, but his comments in that article have legitimized the discussion a bit more.
This sucks.