MLB Trade Talk: 5 Loaded Prospect Packages to Lure King Felix from Seattle
Let me start by getting this out of the way: Despite the rumors, I don't think the Mariners are going to trade Felix Hernandez anytime soon.
Hernandez is the best pitcher in the American League and he's signed through 2014 at a rate that is reasonable for a player of his caliber.
The Mariners are a well-supported team that is regularly in the top half of the league in team payroll and has no apparent need to cut salary. There are no Mets-style financial problems here.
There have been some rumors circling about Mariners GM Jack Zduriencik's job security, so you'd think the last thing he'd want to do is trade away his best player and make his team considerably less competitive in the short term.
And then there's the matter of Hernandez's no-trade clause. According to Fox Sports' Jon Paul Morosi, Hernandez can block a deal to "the New York Yankees, New York Mets, Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs, Los Angeles Angels, Los Angeles Dodgers, Texas Rangers, Philadelphia Phillies and two unknown teams."
Notice that that list covers most of the teams with the money lying around to afford Hernandez (and the Mets).
So there are plenty of reasons to think a deal won't happen. But none of them mean a deal can't happen.
If the Mariners decide they don't have the core players to compete anytime soon, they may decide a full rebuild is necessary. And the teams on Hernandez's no-trade clause that are interested in acquiring his services would probably be willing to offer him enough added financial incentive to drop that clause from his contract and allow a deal to go through.
But money alone won't be enough. If Hernandez does become available, teams will also need to offer the Mariners some serious young talent in return. Which brings us to five enticing offers that could at least conceivably convince the Mariners to part with King Felix.
Felix the Yankee?
1 of 5
When it comes to logical landing spots for Hernandez, the Yankees make far more sense than anybody else.
First off, they have a major need. After being spurned in free agency by Cliff Lee and watching helplessly as longtime pinstriper Andy Pettitte called it quits late in the offseason, New York is currently planning to go into the season with an unproven Ivan Nova as their fourth starter and one of two past-their-prime hurlers (Bartolo Colon or Freddy Garcia) to round out the rotation.
And considering how bad he was last season, A.J. Burnett is no sure thing, either.
We all know that money is no obstacle with the Bronx Bombers. The Yanks already have seven players making $13 million or more per year, so what's one more?
Finally, if the Mariners are willing to deal Hernandez to anyone, the Yankees have the caliber of prospects necessary to get it done.
Any deal would probably have to revolve around prized catching prospect Jesus Montero, the third-best prospect in baseball according to Baseball America. Montero projects to be a major power hitter, something the Mariners sorely lack. He'd be quite an upgrade behind the plate over Miguel Olivo and Adam Moore, and even if he doesn't last at catcher, his bat should play anywhere on the diamond.
The Yankees would also probably have to include at least two talented arms in the package. One could be Nova, who has a decent shot to build a career as a solid option at the back of a rotation. The other might need to be one of the Yankees' top pitching prospects: Dellin Betances or Manny Banuelos.
Felix the National?
2 of 5
The Washington Nationals are a team that is itching to gain the perennial contender status held by other teams playing in major East Coast markets like Boston, New York and Philadelphia. If Jayson Werth's massive contract is any indication, they're willing to spend the money necessary to get there.
So while they may still be quite a ways away from competing for a World Series title, the Nationals may view King Felix as exactly the type of player they can build around as they try to get there. The thought of Hernandez, Stephen Strasburg and Jordan Zimmerman heading up the Nats' rotation for years to come can't be a pleasant one for the rest of the NL East.
If they decided that going after Hernandez was the way to go, the Nationals have plenty of minor league talent to offer in trade. And if they were willing to offer Bryce Harper, the #1 rated prospect in all of baseball, you'd think they'd have to at least get Seattle's attention.
The Nationals also have all kinds of catching depth, so they could afford to pair Harper with either Derek Norris or Wilson Ramos. And if that wasn't enough to seal the deal, they could throw in one of their highly regarded pitching prospects, such as A.J. Cole or Sammy Solis.
Felix the Angel?
3 of 5
Even if the Mariners are willing to part with Hernandez, they may be hesitant to deal him within the division.
But because any Hernandez deal would necessitate prioritizing the future ahead of the present, Seattle would have to bite the bullet and focus on obtaining the best possible package of prospects they could get.
Their AL West rivals in Los Angeles could offer some impressive talent.
OF Mike Trout is Baseball America's #2 overall prospect and one of the few prospects on the same level as Montero and Harper. Trout is a fantastic all-around athlete who can hit for both average and power, run and play defense.
The Angels could also offer a slugging first baseman/DH in Mark Trumbo, the team's ninth-best prospect. Or, if the Mariners prefer a more proven slugger, the Angels could keep Trumbo and give Seattle Kendry Morales, who at 27 years old is just entering his prime and already has a 34-HR season on his resume.
The Mariners still have high hopes for 1B Justin Smoak, but they could certainly use a legitimate power hitter like Trumbo or Morales, whether at 1B or DH.
The Angels aren't shy about spending money, so they probably wouldn't be too concerned about taking on Hernandez's contract, especially while daydreaming of a rotation featuring Hernandez, Jered Weaver, Dan Haren and Ervin Santana.
.png?w=256)
Felix the Brave?
4 of 5
Atlanta is another franchise with the farm system and finances necessary to make Seattle a strong offer.
The Braves already have a pretty decent rotation at the moment, but Tim Hudson and Derek Lowe are both on the wrong side of 30. Tommy Hanson, Mike Minor and Brandon Beachy are all young starters Atlanta fans should be excited about, but adding a superstar like Hernandez in his prime would remove any doubt that the Braves will keep their tradition of great pitching alive for the foreseeable future.
Since Atlanta has a lot more pitching depth than quality position players in the minors, their offer would need to be pitching-heavy. So while Jason Heyward and Freddie Freeman would probably be off-limits, the Braves could still make a pretty strong offer centered on potential ace Julio Teheran, the fifth-best prospect in baseball.
The Braves could pair Teheran with a potentially dominating closer like Craig Kimbrel or Jonny Venters (whoever loses Atlanta's closing competition). And if that's not enough to land Hernandez, they could throw in another highly touted pitching prospect like Randall Delgado.
Felix the White Sox?
5 of 5
Outside of the Yankees, Nationals, Angels and Braves, no other realistic pursuer of King Felix has a truly elite prospect to offer Seattle in return.
Among the teams possessing top-flight talent, the Phillies (Domonic Brown) already have enough aces, the Royals (Eric Hosmer, Mike Moustakas, Will Myers, John Lamb, Mike Montgomery) and Rays (Jeremy Hellickson) are keeping the payroll relatively low and building around young players, and the Reds have plenty of promising young starters and need to keep Aroldis Chapman around to eventually take over the closer role from Francisco Cordero.
So while teams like the White Sox, Rangers and Rockies may want to acquire Hernandez, their offers would need to emphasize quantity in addition to quality. Based on Kenny Williams' track record, the White Sox are probably the best bet of this group to go hard after Hernandez, even though they're not necessarily the most logical team to do so.
The ChiSox already have five solid starters in Mark Buehrle, Edwin Jackson, John Danks, Gavin Floyd and Jake Peavy, but the contracts for Buehrle and Jackson are up at the end of the year. Plus, Buehrle is on the downside of his career, Jackson is inconsistent, Danks and Floyd are good but not great and Peavy is wearing down physically.
Clearly, none of these pitchers comes close to Felix Hernandez's ability.
Any White Sox offer would likely need to start with closer-of-the-future Chris Sale, Baseball America's 20th-best prospect. Chicago would probably need to also include either Danks or Floyd, one of their top infield prospects (Brent Morel or Dayan Viciedo), and whichever other young arm Seattle prefers from the White Sox system.
In truth, the Mariners would be well within their rights to demand that Gordon Beckham be part of the deal. But the White Sox are unlikely to want Hernandez quite that badly.
.png?w=480)
