MLB Free Agency: Why Felix Hernandez to the New York Yankees May Never Happen

For weeks, we have all talked about how the Yankees need pitching, mostly because it's their biggest need.

We've talked about guys like C.J. Wilson, Mark Buehrle, Roy Oswalt and Yu Darvish who are available on the free-agent market.

And we've talked about potential trade targets like Matt Garza, Matt Cain, Tim Lincecum, Jair Jurrjens and Chad Billingsley.

And then, there are the ultimate pitchers that many have deemed as the go-to guys.

There are three we can deem as the ones we'd be willing to unload the farm for: James Shields, Clayton Kershaw and Felix Hernandez.

Now, Shields is an automatic no because there is no way the Tampa Bay Rays will trade Shields in a division rival like the Yankees.

You would think Kershaw could be had considering the Dodgers are in the middle of changing ownership, but Kershaw is arbitration eligible and can be kept at a reasonable price for the Dodgers for now, so realistically, the Yankees have no shot at Kershaw.

Which leaves King Felix.

We have all wondered if and when the Yankees will get Hernandez. And we've all wondered when Seattle will cave in and deal their ace.

Last week, one of the featured columnists on here even did a story wondering what kind of deal it would take to get him from the Mariners.

By his logic, it would involve a package for Dellin Betances, Manny Banuelos and Jesus Montero.

This is going to be the unfortunate opposite of that article.

In all reality, there really is no chance that the Yankees are going to get Hernandez anytime soon.

And we can go back to that proposed package of Betances, Banuelos and Montero.

For Seattle, that's simply not going to be enough for the Yankees to pry away Hernandez.

The Mariners are going to ask for Montero, Betances and Banuelos, and then they are also going to want Eduardo Nunez and maybe even Ivan Nova, too.

We are talking about a 25-year-old ace who's already won a Cy Young Award in the American League here. Seattle is going to demand the "King's Ransom" if they're trading their franchise pitcher.

Would you trade Banuelos, Betances, Montero, Nunez and Nova for Hernandez? I sure wouldn't. And I don't think Yankees general manager Brian Cashman would either.

Another major reason why the Mariners are never trading Hernandez to New York is Seattle's general manager, Jack Zduriencik.

Back in July of 2010, Cashman and Zduriencik nearly pulled off a summer blockbuster deal that would have landed the Yankees Cliff Lee. Montero would have been the centerpiece.

But the problem was that the Yankees and Mariners couldn't agree on the other players in the deal. The Mariners and Zduriencik played hardball with Cashman and asked for Nova and Nunez in the deal, which was something Cashman did not want to do.

So in a deal that was reported to be 90 percent done, the Yankees backed off and then the Mariners turned around and dealt Lee to the Texas Rangers for a package that wasn't all that great.

Following the non-trade, there were some words exchanged through the media between the Yankees and Mariners because the Yankees thought they had the deal done for Lee, and at the last minute, not only did it fall apart, but the Mariners turned around and dealt with another team and basically stuck it to the Yankees.

So now you have to wonder if Cashman and Zduriencik will ever deal with each other again as long as they are their current teams respective general managers.

And then there is the Prince Fielder factor.

A lot of people around baseball have picked the Mariners to be the team that lands Fielder this winter in free agency.

If the Mariners are going to be players in the Prince Fielder sweepstakes, that means Zduriencik feels the Mariners are going to compete in the near future.

That means there's no chance he's dealing his best pitcher anytime soon, much less to a team like the Yankees.

Before taking over in Seattle, Zduriencik was a part of the Brewers organization, first as the director of scouting, then as the assistant to the general manager.

He scouted and helped draft Fielder and could end up luring Prince to Seattle.

If Fielder becomes a Mariner, there's absolutely zero chance Felix gets traded anytime soon.

So, this is the cold, hard slap in the face of the Yankees are likely never getting Felix Hernandez.

In all reality, the Yankees need to find other alternatives this winter if they are looking to make a major trade this winter for  a starting pitcher.

Sorry, Yankees Universe.

Hopefully, Cashman will make a deal that makes a major impact and won't cost them nearly their entire farm system in the process.