Agent Alan Nero looms large again in Mariners' fate

Alan Nero, in a fashion, is one of the seminal figures in Mariners history, though many fans might not recognize the name.

Nero, a veteran agent, represented Randy Johnson (along with fellow agent Barry Meister), when contentious negotiations led Johnson, the greatest pitcher in franchise history, to be traded to Houston on July 31, 1998.

Nero's firm represented Edgar Martinez, perhaps the most beloved player in Mariners history and one who never succumbed to the temptations of free agency.

Nero represented Joey Cora, another very popular player from the Mariners' past.

Nero represented Lou Piniella, and negotiated Piniella's escape from his contract after the 2002 season, when he took the Tampa Bay managerial job.

Nero represented John McLaren, fired as Mariners manager one year ago this past Friday.

Nero represents Kenji Johjima, negotiating the contract that brought the catcher to Seattle from Japan in 2006, and the controversial three-year, $24 million extension signed last April that went into effect this year.

And, to bring this to the present, and pivotal future: Nero also represents Felix Hernandez, which means that he is about to loom large once again in the Mariners' fate.

Quietly, but steadily, Hernandez's clock is ticking. He will finish the 2009 season — one in which he appears, at age 23, poised for the breakout that everyone has known lurks within him — with four years and 60 days of service time.

That means he will be eligible for free agency after the 2011 season — two more full seasons after this one. So it's way too soon to worry, right?

Not quite. It's too early to panic. But if you're a Mariners fan, or Mariners executive, it might be time to start getting a little worried. And to start planning for Felix's Seattle long-term future. Or lack of same.

Why? Because Hernandez is getting perilously close to the time when many teams have historically had to make a call on their young star players: Lock them up, or ship them out.

The moment is not here yet. But you can see it from here.

Consider Mark Teixeira. The Rangers decided between his fourth and fifth year that they weren't going to retain him, and shipped him to Atlanta at the 2007 trade deadline in a deal that netted four key players.

Consider Jason Bay. He, too, had a year-plus remaining before free agency last July when the Pirates dealt him to Boston in a three-way deal that netted Pittsburgh its traditional batch of prospects.

The Orioles did it two years early with Erik Bedard, trading him to Seattle before the 2008 season (I can't recall how that worked out). As far back as July 2000, the Phillies traded their ace, Curt Schilling, to Arizona with a year-plus left before free agency.

Which brings us back to Felix, with whom the Mariners have so far been unable to negotiate a long-term contract that would take away arbitration years, let alone take him past his first year of free-agent eligibility.

The two sides did avoid arbitration this past winter, negotiating a one-year, $3.8 million contract in January. And the good news is that Nero says all is amicable among himself, his client and the Mariners.

Here's what Nero said in the middle of last season when I asked him about the prospects of Seattle locking up Hernandez to a long-term deal:

"Does Felix want to go anywhere else? Absolutely not. That said, the dynamics of putting together a deal that allows a player to give up arbitration years and free agency is a delicate one, with significant risks on everyone's part. The Mariners have done whatever they could do to date to get it done. It hasn't worked out, but not because all parties haven't tried to make it work. The significant point is that Felix doesn't want to be anywhere else."

Nero said this week that those sentiments haven't changed, but acknowledged there have not been significant recent negotiations on an extension.

"We have not really heard from the Mariners since spring training, when we negotiated a one-year contract," he said. "Obviously, it's really up to them. It's not up to us. We'd assume when they're ready to talk, they'll give us a call. It may be more appropriate to do it during the offseason. When the team thinks they're ready to talk, we're ready to listen."

Nero stressed that despite some contentious moments in the past, he has a strong working relationship with team president Chuck Armstrong, and also with first-year general manager Jack Zduriencik.

"We're always open to talk to the Mariners, because we've got a great relationship with them," he said. "It will either be something that's good for both parties, or not. There's no problem, no expectation on anyone's part. Felix is enjoying a good season. He's out there working hard.

"When they feel it's appropriate to come to us, they will. All is well. Felix is very focused, and there's really good chemistry on this team. I have a great relationship with Jack. He's a long-term baseball guy I've known for a long time, a very honorable man. More importantly, my relationship with Chuck and everyone else is really sound. There's no issue here; the only issue is timing."

Here's what Zduriencik said this week when I asked him the status of negotiations with Nero on a possible extension for Hernandez: "We've had a few pleasantries, if you will, but we haven't gone into any kind of detail."

I asked him if some urgency was building as Hernandez's free-agent clock continues ticking.

"It takes two to come to an agreement," Zduriencik said. "I think we're going to look at a lot of things coming up shortly. From myself and Don's standpoint [manager Don Wakamatsu], we're just getting our feet on the ground, understanding everyone here on the ball cub, the minor leagues, everything we're trying to accomplish. We're going to be open to several things as we move forward."

Is the Mariners' goal to lock up Hernandez to a long-term deal? As is his custom, Zduriencik played it close to the vest.

"I don't want to comment on that," he said. "It's in no one's best interest at this time. If we do have any kind of discussion, it's going to be behind closed doors. He's got to pitch right now. That's what we're concerned about."

But for those who long to see Hernandez in Seattle throughout his prime years, it's not too soon to fret just a little.

Larry Stone: 206-464-3146 or lstone@seattletimes.com