We’re less than three months away from Opening Day and the Seattle Mariners and their ace pitcher Felix Hernandez have yet to sign a long-term deal. It’s widely speculated that Hernandez is worth over $100 million in a multi-year contract. The Mariner’s goal is to either lock him into a long-term deal or risk being forced to trade him by July or sometime next year. The Mariners don’t want to see Hernandez leave without getting anything in return.

If there is going to be a deal done, it will have to be completed before the season starts since most player do not like to negotiate in season. It’s to the M’s benefit that they lock in a deal now so they have the most leverage. If the Mariners know they can’t sign him to favorable numbers, they may be better of trading him this year to a playoff contending team that can utilize Hernandez for two playoff runs. Hernandez will be eligible to hit the open market after the 2011 season. If the Mariner’s wait until the beginning or middle of 2011, then they won’t have as much negotiation leverage to acquire key prospects since the other team will get Hernandez for only one playoff run. This is why the Toronto Blue Jays wanted to trade Roy Halladay last July – halfway into his three year contract. The Blue Jays knew if they succeeded, they would get a better return since the team they were trading Halladay to would get him for a playoff run in 2009 and 2010.

The last thing the Mariners need to expose themselves to is losing two top notch pitchers in Hernandez and Cliff Lee (a free agent after the 2010 season) so expect to see something done with Hernandez before Spring Training ends.

Click here to see Hernandez’s contract history and statistics.

Information used for this article came from The Seattle Times.