Seattle Mariners Deal with Felix Hernandez Complete; Press Conference Weds. at 2PM PST

Aug 21, 2012; Seattle, WA, USA; Seattle Mariners starting pitcher

(34) pitches against the Cleveland Indians during the 4th inning at Safeco Field. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-USA TODAY Sports

It’s official; the Seattle Mariners have come to a contract agreement with “King” Felix Hernandez. It looks like the initial reports broken last week by USA Today were, in fact, accurate. Felix Hernandez will be signed to a 7-year contract, including the last two years on his current contract, and stretching into 2020 for around $175 million dollars.

The official details will come out tomorrow in a press conference to be streamed live on MLB.com at 2:00 PM PST. The final two years of Hernandez’s current contract, totaling $40.5 million, have been replaced by the new contract. Hernandez is in Peoria and took his physical at the side of his fellow pitcher and catcher teammates today.

It was also rumored at the end of last week that the real reason Hernandez dropped out of the World Baseball Classic was due to an arm injury. However, this appears to be unfounded, and the Mariners organization has reported that he was finalizing contract negotiations.

Hernandez will be returning to Seattle tomorrow to appear in the press conference at Safeco Field. He won the Cy Young award in 2010, and he has spent his entire career with the Mariners. Barring any future surprises, it looks like he will be a lifelong Mariner, joining the ranks of Edgar Martinez.

Check back tomorrow for more updates and details that will emerge during the press conference.