Lincecum, for me. He won the Cy Young last year and if he stays on track, should win it again this year. The kid is just special.
Greinke??? Wins Above Replacement pitchers Greinke- 6.1 Linceum 5.5 Haren-4.7 Verlander-4.4 Lester-3.6 Kershaw- 2.2 Between the very young pitchers Kershaw and David Price, I would pick Price. Currently Kershaw is at 40 starts, Price at 10, but when Price gets to 40 starts he will be better than Kershaw was at his 40th start, especially if he continues to develop his changeup.
It was tough passing up the local stud in Lincecum, but I think I would want to roll with King Felix. Felix Hernandez has been a stud for the last few years but the Mariners haven't surrounded him with much of a team. This year he's 10-3 I believe, and they have no offense. And he's only 23 at this point of his career.
Holy shit, being a fan of the Angels and being in the AL West, I completely forgot about King Felix. Dude is a stud, that is definitely an option. And yeah, I think Price has a bright future, I just don't think he warranted a spot yet with so few spots.
King Felix is about to make some massive $$$$, there is no way I see seattle being able to sign him long term. He is going to want more money than Seattle can offer and they are not going to be contenders for the playoffs for multiple years. I just hope he doesnt sign with the Yankees.
King Felix still has arbitration years until 2011, and I'm sure the M's are going to pay him since he's the face of their franchise, it's just up to him. I believe he'll be around until at least Ichiro retires or leaves, and it's not like the Mariners are a bottom feeder. Get the M's a SS that isn't hitting .150 and a LF, maybe a 5th starter, and they're competing for the AL West and Wildcard still.
I think Lincecum is the best right now, but his delivery would scare me away from him. I see some major arm surgery in his future.
Also, I picked Lester because he is a proven ace in the best division in baseball. Any halfway decent pitcher can put up good numbers in the NL. Plus, Lester has already won meaningful games.
Ichiro will be 38 when Felix is eligible to reach free agency, and Felix is going to want a 4-5 year minimum contract, Ichrio is not going to way much on staying with Seattle because Ichiro will either be retiring near or just after Felix's free agency. And Beltre will be gone in 2010. Mariners have a history of trading their stars before free agency: Randy Johnson, Ken Griffey Jr, A-Rod. Mariners will be smart, trade him to a contender to get some value back. Im not saying the M's are bottom feeders, they have a pretty good roster, but dont have the roster yet to every year be in the playoff hunt. With the Rangers with their great offense and the Angels with their solid roster its going to be a very hard battle for the division. And the Wild Card is almost out the question with the #2 in the AL East most likely to win the wildcard in the next few years.
I'd go for Josh Beckett. Absolute money in the post season and I'd want my players learning from him.
I voted Lincecum, but King Felix would be a close 2nd. Both guys are absolute studs and should have multiple Cy Young awards in their futures.
I'd go for Haren. Consistently pitches over 200 innings, is always improving, could be the Ace in any team and has the mentality whereby playing for a "lesser" team wouldn't affect him in the slightest. A pitcher with 5 weapons in his arsenal of which 4 are above average. Always looking to improve and a great attitude and he doesn't have over reliance on a fast ball pitch will increase his longetivy in the game. Reminds me of Mussina but more towards the end of his career the way he will throw anything at any time, anywhere and it is as much his location as his ability to keep you guessing that makes him stand out. As if that was not enough the way he has worked on his control is also superb check out his 0.88 WHIP for proof.
