Mets Close To Signing Livan Hernandez
According to a Friday report from MLB.com, the Mets are closing in on signing rubber armed 32 year old pitcher Livan Hernandez. The brother of current Met Orlando Hernandez, Livan went 11-11 for the Arizona Diamondbacks last season, with an inflated ERA of 4.93 and 90 strikeouts in 204.1 innings pitched. Hernandez's value is the amount of innings he can pitch in a season. He's pitched at least 200 innings in each season since 1998, except for 1999 in which he pitched 199.2 innings. If the signing were to go through, the Mets would be Livan's 6th career organization.
At first I was opposed to the idea of Livan Hernandez being on the Mets, but he's a reliable Major League pitcher with 12 years of Big League experience. If Omar Minaya were unable to complete a deal for Johan Santana, Livan would be able to provide stability in the back end of the rotation. The Mets haven't yet found a replacement for Tom Glavine, who pitched 200.3 innings for the Amazins last season. Hernandez threw 204.3 innings last season, so he would be an upgrade from Glavine in that respect. The signing could also inspire Phil Humber and Mike Pelfrey to work harder to earn a place on the big league roster in 2008.
Livan has long wanted to pitch with his brother Orlando. In August of 2007, Livan said, "It’s something I want to do before he (El Duque) retires, I’m going to try to play eight, 10 more years.”
Is Livan Hernandez the flashiest pitcher in the game? No. But he's got big league stuff, and is still only 32 years old. Omar Minaya should still chase Erik Bedard, Joe Blanton and Johan Santana, but this signing would ease the pain if Omar isn't able to acquire any of those 3.
Comments
kudos to me for writing a livan hernandez piece without making an "Innings eater" joke
Posted by: Milo | January 25, 2008 05:04 PM
I was hoping for two-time Cy Young Award-winning Johan Santana, but LIVAN FREAKIN' HERNANDEZ would be just as good...
Posted by: Mike B. | January 25, 2008 05:08 PM
He will replace the innings Glavine gave us and he's a great hitting pitcher like Glavine.
Posted by: Tracey | January 25, 2008 05:21 PM
Let's not forget i know the Mets are signing him because of his arm but the guy can also swing the bat :) when he pitches the lineup will be even better.
Posted by: the real fred | January 25, 2008 05:36 PM
You never know. This could be a precursor to getting Santana. If they are thinking of including Pelfrey for Santana, this would be a necessary acquisition.
Posted by: Barry | January 25, 2008 06:11 PM
In several previous posts on various blogs I had stated that the quickest, fastest way to achieve a solid frontline starter is to (what I called)"Subtraction by Addition". The basic premise is simple. Right now we have 7 . Martinez,Maine,Pelfrey,Hernandez,Perez,Humber & Mulvey. By adding 2 more starters like Livan Hernandez & lets say Lohse. We have 9. Now we can trade Perez,Humber,Mulvey and & Gomez for Santana. 9-3=6 + 1 =7. We are still at 7 from where we started. We now have Santana, Martinez & Maine at the top. I sincerely believe this is doable. We all know that the specific players may be different then what I suggested, But with 9 , We will get it done. What do you think ?
Posted by: Bruce Waldman | January 25, 2008 06:21 PM
LOL, "Innings Eater"?...and Big Macs,Chicken McNuggets,Ring Dings...etc.Great Blog Milo!
I like your math Bruce! You always hear about addition by subtraction(as was the case with Mota),but never the flipside of it.I'm starting to get a little antsy...wonder what Omar is thinking?;)
Posted by: Adam Baker | January 25, 2008 06:33 PM
BTW..."kudos" for you Milo, but none for Livan, he's watching his figure!;)
Posted by: Adam Baker | January 25, 2008 06:36 PM
I hope that signing Livan doesn't equal giving up on Santana.
Posted by: Pete | January 25, 2008 06:44 PM
who needs johan we got livan lol
Posted by: john | January 25, 2008 08:14 PM
Seems to me that this rumor helps both Minaya (in negotiating for Santana) and Livan's agent -- so I'd hesitate to put too much stock in it.
If it is true I think it's a good idea. Even if get Santana, he bumps both Pelfrey to AAA or the pen, and Duque to the pen, where I think he could help us a good deal.
Posted by: Joe Bourgeois | January 25, 2008 11:00 PM
Watch out for those kudos, Livan might eat that too.
Posted by: Ryan | January 25, 2008 11:13 PM
Hernandez? Sounds good to me! But can the Mets afford Odales Perez once Livan is in the fold? Where is Kyle Loshe!!
Posted by: EDWIN | January 26, 2008 02:03 AM
The Colorado paper first reporting this Livan deal seems to suggest that the Mets are resorting to Plan B in case they cannot get Santana from the Twins. I disagree.
I think it means that the Mets might send Heilman to Minnesota and move El Duque to the pen, where he'd be fresher, less taxed, and more unlikely to go on the DL.
Posted by: Rob Walsh | January 26, 2008 09:06 AM
I looked at his sats and he looks very simialar to Glavines stats. I like the move.Like Glavin he is gives up hits and walks. But he will keep you in the game and save the bull pen. I see 13-15 wins as a number 5 starter
Posted by: Danny | January 26, 2008 09:16 AM
Here's what I'd do. First off, sign Livan. This really can't hurt the team in any way. Livan is among the game's most durable starting pitchers, and Omar really needs to take advantage of the fact that he's not a hot commodity as a result. Get him on a 2 year deal, something like 4/5 mil each year.
Then, if you can't get either of the big 3 (Blanton, Bedard, Santana) sign another free agent who still has something of an upside. This could be Odalis Perez, Tony Armas Jr, Freddy Garcia, anyone who wouldn't be too expensive but could still help contribute in 08. If Kyle Lohse is still demanding 10 mil a year, then forget it he's just not worth that kind of money.
Posted by: Milo | January 26, 2008 11:11 AM