What a birthday gift ~ Felix for FIVE more years!!!

OK, it's not official yet but, according to multiple sources Felix is "staying with the org that brung him"!

Great deal for the M's (and their fans) ...

who get to see Felix take the hill every five days for five more years.

Great deal for Felix (and his family) ...

who now have the security of a long contract at the end of which he will be 28-years-young.

HAL - LAY - LU - YA! and

Happy Birthday to me :-)

Only physical awaits Felix Hernandez signing $78M, 5-year deal with Mariners

Reports late Tuesday, from Jon Heyman of SI.com, said the package will include a $6.5 million salary for 2010 — along with a $3.5 million signing bonus — then $10 million in 2011, $18.5 million in 2012, $19.5 million in 2013 and $20 million in 2014.

"This way, he still gets to be a free agent when he's 28, so it's a good deal," said Polidor, who was to fly to Miami on Tuesday night and then on to Seattle later Wednesday in anticipation of closing the deal.

Polidor, who worked on the contract along with agents Scott Pucino and Jose Mijares — all part of the Alan Nero agency — said final details of the contract, including bonuses for awards, were still being worked on.

"It isn't a done deal until everything is signed and he passes a physical," Polidor said. "Until then, people can write that it's for $80 million or $78 million, but it isn't done until it's finished. We haven't finished talking with them yet."

Teammates laud Felix's new deal

"I knew we probably had him for this year," Johnson said, "but to get him locked up for several more years is really huge. He obviously is one of the center points of our team, a legitimate No. 1 guy on the pitching staff. There are not that many guys around, especially 23-year-olds."

:::

"It's good for Felix and good for the Mariners," free-agent left-hander Jarrod Washburn said. "It means a lot to the organization because they have locked up one of the best pitchers in game for several years."

:::

"I read about it this morning," reliever Mark Lowe said. "Obviously I was happy to hear it. Felix is the backbone of our starting rotation, a standup guy, a fun guy to be around and is great in the clubhouse."

:::

"I'm stoked for Felix, he more than deserves it, and I know that the fans are all probably 'high fivin' each other at work today!" starter Ryan Rowland-Smith wrote in an e-mail. "I see positive comments on my Twitter feed. Being in an organization which has made the moves it has this offseason, on top of the atmosphere we created in the clubhouse last year, I think this is the icing on the cake.

"For the Mariners to commit to a pitcher like Felix, who is and will be high in demand, it shows that as players we have a lot to look forward to as far as winning goes. I also think in terms of our rotation, we may have the best 1-2 starters in baseball."

:::

"That's awesome," closer David Aardsma said. "It shows that the Mariners want him to be here for a long time, and he wants to be here for a long time. I'm happy for him."

:::

"I remember facing him in 2005, when the Pirates played in Seattle," Wilson said. "Felix was a young kid with an incredible arm who threw hard and had a great offspeed pitch.

"I noticed something different when I was with him this summer. He was still a kid, but he knew how to pitch. First time I saw him, he used his fastball a lot, but from what I saw last year, I realized how smart he is and how much he had learned how to pitch.

"He has God-given talent and a great arm, but he also has a great head on his shoulders. Has put his time in and learned how to pitch, which says a lot about the pitching coaches that have worked with him. He can throw any pitch he has on any count and it is fun to watch him. His stuff is absolutely electric."