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This is one of the reasons I wish our top prospects were more oriented towards hitting than pitching. As nice as Walker/Hultzen/Paxton promise to be, the M's need to get some offense somewhere. Big bats universally care about their stats, that is their legacy. The Safeco stigma automatically puts the M's at a disadvantage with the Fielder-types before negotiations even begin, and it doesn't help that just about every top dollar bat to sign here was eventually eaten alive by the ballpark.
If the M's needed to sign starting pitching instead, they'd have a huge advantage over other teams. They'd be able to attract and sign elite talent without paying a premium, and in all likelihood their signings would exceed expectations instead of disappoint.
But they don't need SP. They might have more depth there than any other AL team. They need elite hitting, and face major challenges acquiring it.
You rarely see prospect-for-prospect trades, so I believe Walker/Hultzen/Paxton are all Mariners for the long run. If the M's can't sign a big bat, it might really be time to consider trading Felix and/or Pineda for the biggest prospect haul they can get.