Well Felix Hernandez can breathe a little easier now. Not that he couldn’t before, seeing that he had two years remaining on his current contract.
As we reported over the weekend, Hernandez and the Mariners had agreed to the structure of a seven year $175 million contract making him the highest paid pitcher in MLB history.
Then reports surfaced that elbow issues that Hernandez supposedly was having could put that huge new deal in jeopardy. Hernandez can relax now though because ESPN is reporting that deal is now official.
“I think it’s a great thing for the Seattle Mariners,” Seattle general manager Jack Zduriencik said. “It’s a great thing for Felix Hernandez, and looking forward to this guy being here for a very long time, obviously.”
Hernandez’s deal is worth $175 million over seven years, a source told ESPN The Magazine’s Buster Olney. Terms of the contract were not released by the team.
Hernandez and Zduriencik will hold a news conference in Seattle on Wednesday afternoon, where the ace right-hander is expected to sign the contract.
The 27 year old Hernandez was still scheduled to make a combined $40 million in 2013 and 2014, so his pockets were going to be alright.
Lets just hope the elbow will hold up.