King Felix a Mariner for Life?

Sep 21, 2012; Seattle, WA, USA; Seattle Mariners starting pitcher Felix Hernandez (34) reacts in the dugout during the 1st inning between the Seattle Mariners and the Texas Rangers during the 1st inning at Safeco Field. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-USA TODAY Sports

There’s been talk around the offseason rumor mills about Seattle Mariners’ star pitcher Felix Hernandez. Namely, the rumor goes something like this: The Mariners want to make King Felix a “Mariner for life,” but given the recent contracts many big name pitchers have signed, Zack Greinke for example, it’s just not in the cards for the Ms.

In August, King Felix threw a perfect game, making him just the twenty-third player in MLB history to do so. Not only is he the Mariners’ best player currently, but he’s also coming up for a contract expiration, and he’ll only be 28 years old. That makes him a prime target for many negotiations from other teams.

In light of this, many fans are panicking based upon the recent contracts signed by the likes of Zack Greinke for $147 million over six years with the Dodgers. They speculate that Hernandez, having seen these figures, won’t want to settle for what the Ms budget can supply him with.

The question remains, what do you think Felix will do? Will he stay with the team that made him a superstar, or will he jump ship to the highest bidder? While one can speculate that high salaries for pitchers elsewhere would put the Mariners in a tenuous situation when it comes to resigning Hernandez as a “Mariner for Life,” it also seems reasonable to believe that perhaps there are things that the Seattle team can offer its finest star in terms of incentives for remaining where he’s at.

What do you think? What would you do if you were in King Felix’s shoes?