Mariners rumors: Felix Hernandez 'Mariner for life'?

The Seattle Mariners have begun "very preliminary" contract extension talks with right-hander Felix Hernandez in an effort to make the former Cy Young Award winner a "Mariner for life," reports Jon Heyman of CBS Sports.

#mariners broached multiyear deal w/ king felix. want to make him "mariner for life." talks very preliminary. sea pushing

— Jon Heyman (@JonHeymanCBS) December 4, 2012

Heyman doesn’t have any figures on the deal, but it would add a multi-year extension to Hernandez’s current contract which runs through the 2014 season. King Felix is due $19.5 million next year and $20 million in the final season of his contract.

Hernandez has consistently found himself in the midst of trade rumors and below-average baseball teams during his tenure in Seattle. Last offseason the Mariners traded away another high-profile arm, Michael Pineda, to the New York Yankees in exchange for Jesus Montero.

The Mariners are still rumored to be in the market for a bat this offseason, but while they’re apparently willing to dangle pitching prospects such as Taijuan Walker, they have no interest in trading Hernandez.

Last season Hernandez posted an ERA of 3.26 over 33 starts for the Mariners. The 26-year-old owns a career ERA of 3.60.