Sources: M's in serious talks with Silva
Ken Rosenthal
FOXSports.com, Updated 1 hour ago
Carlos Silva, perhaps the top starting pitcher remaining on the free-agent market, does not figure to be available much longer.
The Mariners are in serious negotiations with Silva on a contract that would be worth at least $44 million over four years, according to major-league sources.
For the Mariners, the signing of Silva would put them halfway toward their goal of adding two starting pitchers this off-season. They also are pursuing Orioles left-hander Erik Bedard in a trade.
Silva, 28, became a primary focus for the Mariners after they lost Japanese free-agent right-hander Hiroki Kuroda to the Dodgers over the weekend.
Kuroda, 32, signed for $35.3 million over three years — less than what he was offered by both the Royals and Mariners, sources said.
Silva spent the past four seasons with the Twins, averaging 12 wins, 193 innings and a 4.42 ERA. He was 13-14 with a 4.19 ERA last season, and likely would benefit from a move to Seattle's pitcher-friendly Safeco Field.
The Mariners' rotation currently includes right-handers Felix Hernandez and Miguel Batista and lefty Jarrod Washburn. Righty Brandon Morrow could join that group if he is not packaged in a deal for a pitcher such as Bedard.
A deal of $44 million or above for Silva would represent an advance in the market for second-tier starting pitchers. The Brewers' Jeff Suppan received $42 million and the Cubs' Ted Lilly $40 million in four-year, free-agent contracts last off-season.
This might affect the trade talk for Eric Bedard. The Mariners are still looking for a starting pitcher, but it is no longer a necessity for them to land Bedard.