Felix Hernandez taking interesting path following retirement

Nearly four years after throwing his final MLB pitch, King Felix is back in the sport.

Baseball United, a fledgling pro baseball league based in both the Middle East and South Asia, announced in a release this week that retired Seattle Mariners great Felix Hernandez – a co-owner of the league – will have a role with one of their franchises. Hernandez is set to become honorary general manager of the Dubai Wolves. John McLaren, who managed Hernandez and the Mariners from 2007-08, was also announced as the Wolves’ first-ever manager.

Now 37 years old, Hernandez recently joined Baseball United as an investor. The AL Cy Young Award winner in 2010, Hernandez was a six-time MLB All-Star who played his entire pro career with Seattle (he did later sign with the Atlanta Braves and Baltimore Orioles, but never pitched in a single game for either of club). After last playing in 2019, Hernandez was inducted into Mariners Hall of Fame earlier this month.

Baseball United, the first-ever pro baseball league focused on the Middle East and Indian Subcontinent, is set to formally begin operations with a November showcase tournament in Dubai. Adrian Beltre, Hernandez’s former Mariners teammate, is part of the Baseball United ownership group and this former MLB MVP is even serving as a manager.