ESPN reports that Felix Hernandez has signed a $135.5 million contract extension to keep him in a Seattle Mariners uniform through the 2019 season. King Felix is one of the most dominant young pitchers in the game today, so his performance and the details of the contract should set a precedent for what other hurlers can demand in their next contracts. Had Hernandez not signed the extension, he would have been a free agent following the 2014 season. Felix Hernandez' Stats can be found at Baseball Reference.
That leaves two other aces potentially on the market after the 2014 campaign, assuming neither of them signs extensions with their respective teams. 2011 NL Cy Young Award winner Clayton Kershaw will finish his current contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers and 2011 AL Cy Young and MVP Awards winner Justin Verlander will have played out his deal with the Detroit Tigers. Both pitchers play for large-market teams, so there's at least a chance they'll re-up with their current squads, but teams with upcoming salary space like the New York Yankees may be licking their chops at the chance to lock up one of the best pitchers in the game. New York already has an expensive but top-both southpaw in C.C. Sabathia, who is signed though 2015.
The Hernandez deal opens the door for Kershaw to be among the highest-paid players in the game when he signs a new contract. Kershaw is two years younger than Hernandez and will have played less than one fewer season by the end of 2014 than Hernandez has now, meaning that aside from inflation (which would benefit Kershaw), Kershaw should be right in line for a similar contract. Right now, the 24-year-old Kershaw is in the second year of a two-year, $19 million deal that the sides made to avoid salary arbitration last February. Clayton Kershaw's Bio is available at Baseball Reference.
Verlander could top both Hernandez and Kershaw from piling up more impressive stats, though he will be on the other side of 30 when he hits the market. That could mean he will either get a shorter deal with similar annual value as the other two, or a team with deep pockets could lock him up into his late 30's anyway. Justin Verlander's Bio is on Baseball Reference.
Hernandez' deal may also help David Price, the reigning AL Cy Young Award winner who hits free agency after the 2015 season. Price has strung together three great years and is the youngest of the bunch, currently 23 years old. To see David Price's stats, visit Baseball Reference.
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