The Twins are in the market for a back-of-the-rotation starting pitcher. Would there be value in the addition of Livan Hernandez?
Hernandez won acclaim by being a young pitcher in the 1997 World Series for the Florida Marlins. Since then he's traversed the spectrum between a reliable innings-eater and a marginally effective starter. This season he's 31, and having one of the worse seasons of his career. In spite of this, he remains a ballyhooed name on the Nationals' trading block.
Here are some numbers to compare Hernandez to what the Twins currently have available at the end of the rotation, in the four and five slots. Is Livan an improvement? What's he worth giving away?
Name Salary AGE IP H K BB WHIP ERA
Hernandez $8.0MM 31 132.2 163 79 50 1.61 5.70
Silva $3.2MM 27 105.1 156 44 17 1.64 6.84
Baker $330K 24 60.1 83 51 10 1.54 6.27
Guerrier $340K 27 32.1 39 19 14 1.64 3.34
Bonser $330K 24 35.2 40 27 12 1.46 5.30