Things Just Keep Getting Better

We get to watch Felix Hernandez pitch for our team for at least the next 5 years. You can’t even imagine the pure happiness it brings me to be able to write that sentence. Right now – today, is without a doubt, the most awesome it’s been to be a Mariners fan since 2001. I’ve been walking on air for about 18 hours now, and I’m still not ready to come back to earth. Felix Hernandez is a 23 year old ace with an awesome personality who loves dogs, and he will be on our team for the next 5 seasons. This is easily the crowning moment of what has been an absolutely amazing off season.

I would have been ecstatic over pretty much any long term Felix deal, no matter what the cost, but the Mariners actually got a pretty good deal here price-wise. Felix already has a 6-win season under his belt, and he’s just 23 years old. He would only have to be worth 19.5 wins over the next five seasons to be worth his contract, which is roughly 3.9 wins a season. All statistical projections aside, Felix Hernandez averaging at least 3.9 wins over his 24-28 year old seasons is something I would put money on. Despite already being awesome, he’s still improving, and any type of significant decline before this contract is over, barring any major injuries, would shock me. Even if he were to miss an entire season, God forbid, he’d only need to average 4.8 WAR over his other 4 seasons to be worth his contract, and while that’s a significantly bigger number, it’s still easily within the realm of possibility.

Of course, these numbers are a little bit different when you assume he would have made roughly $10 million in arbitration this season had we not signed him, but instead of actually trying to get into that, I’ll direct you to a Dave Cameron piece over at Fangraphs.

Anyway, pretty much no matter how you look at it, this is a good deal, and a great day for the Mariners. This is a great day for all of us as fans of the Mariners. If there was anything possibly keeping any of us from thoroughly enjoying this off season, it was the constant, pounding worry that we weren’t going to be able to get a deal done with Felix Hernandez. Now, that worry has vanished, and he’s all ours for a good, long time.

Taylor’s Edit: Jack Zduriencik should be thrown in prison, because he just robbed Felix blind.  Seriously.  This guy is so good at what he does.  All Hail Jack Z.  Next time you see a guy in a Jack Zduriencik full-body costume cheering at a game, that guy will be me.  Actually, it might be Jack Zduriencik, but the point is the same.

Seriously, I can’t believe how good this offseason has been.  Cliff Lee, Felix extension, Chone Figgins, Kotchman, Silva for Bradley.  Magic is afoot.