Livan Hernandez

by Conor Duffy on Jan 8, 2012 9:07 AM EST

Calculations have shown that the Red Sox are approximately $2 million off of the luxury tax threshold. While they will probably have to cross that threshold to field a competitive team, they are still in the market for cheap, solid options rather than flashy names like Roy Oswalt and Hiroki Kuroda. One of those cheap options that could fill out the #5 hole in their rotation is Livan Hernandez. Hernandez was his usual self in 2011, posting a 4.47/3.96/4.28 pitchers' line while going 8-13. He also struck out 5.08 batters per nine and walked 2.36 per nine. All of those numbers are around his career average. While Hernandez did not reach 200 innings in 2011-- he was hampered by injuries and only made 29 starts, posting 175.1 innings. The previous year, in 2010, he reached 211.2 innings. Hernandez will be 37 when the season starts, however, which raises some questions and a plus. The question marks: age, his strikeout totals are going down, how he would adjust to the AL East, and could he stay healthy. The plus: because of his age, he would come on a cheap, one year deal worth something like 1 yr/$3 million. If the Sox used Hernandez to fill out the rotation, I'd be pretty happy. Thanks for reading!

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Would You SIgn Livan Hernandez

Yes

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No

15 votes

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Comments

If you're really only 2 mill from the threshold

then for the love of God, sign Kuroda or Oswalt! It doesn’t matter how much you go over, just that you go over. Since you’re going over anyhow, sign one of those two (whoever will) to a one year deal, field a @#$%ing competitive team.

(Sorry…getting a little frustrated)

Galactus does as he pleases. Because Galactus is drunk.

@#$%ing Twit: @blogtard
OTM | Silver Seven

by Bloggy on Jan 8, 2012 10:16 AM EST reply actions

Sorry,

Didn’t know you only had to go over. Thought it mattered how much you went over.

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by Conor Duffy on Jan 8, 2012 1:33 PM EST up reply actions

You pay the tax on how much you went over.

so the difference between of a percentage of 2 mil or a percentage of 8 mil is negligible. And just the fact that you went over is what would set your tax rate for the next year if you went over again.

Unless that has changed in the new bargaining agreement.

Galactus does as he pleases. Because Galactus is drunk.

@#$%ing Twit: @blogtard
OTM | Silver Seven

by Bloggy on Jan 8, 2012 2:14 PM EST up reply actions

I believe the only real changes with the new bargaining agreement in terms of the tax rates

Is that the rates for each “level” (going over 1st, 2nd, 3rd time, etc.) have changed slightly, and if you go under one year then it resets. So if you go over after that, your rate of taxation is as if you went over for the first time. Before if you went under one year, it just dropped you down a level the next time you went over.

So you go over two years and under on year three and then back over on year 4.
- Old Agreement: In year 4 you pay (I believe) the 2nd (possibly 3rd) year tax rate.
- New Agreement: In year 4 you pay the 1st year tax rate.

by The Name is Dalton on Jan 9, 2012 8:32 AM EST up reply actions

83.9 average fastball velocity

If you’d like him to be pitching in the AL East, take a seat over there.

"We’re the Sox. Not Apple Sox. We ain’t no Barbeque Sox. We’re the Red Sox.’’ - David Ortiz

by L33to II on Jan 8, 2012 1:22 PM EST reply actions

Would you rather have

A guy who pitches slowly but is pretty effective or a fireballer who sucks?

Check out my blog at http://conor-soxrox.blogspot.com

by Conor Duffy on Jan 8, 2012 1:33 PM EST up reply actions

I think he would put up numbers just like Lackey did last year

The 2011 Over the Monster Gedman League Fantasy Baseball Champion

I hate free agency

by gizmosandy on Jan 8, 2012 2:55 PM EST reply actions

Maybe we can put him back to back with Beckett

“In addition, Hernandez is known as one of the slowest pitchers in the game, both in terms of how quickly he works and how fast he throws.”

Then we can just lull the opposition to sleep

by BobZupcic on Jan 8, 2012 4:07 PM EST reply actions

That alone answers the question for me.

No.

No more Papelbon, (probably) no more Daisuke…we’re trending in the right direction with regards to pitchers’ pace of game.

Hi ho, Duke!

by The Duke of Silver on Jan 8, 2012 7:31 PM EST up reply actions

3 million seems like a lot for Livan.

Maybe a 1 mil deal with incentives. He seems like a decent option for a #5, especially because Aceves seems so irreplaceable in the pen. Meanwhile, he can be cut if he is ineffective or another option (Doubront, Tazawa, Wilson) from within deserves a shot.

John Lackey: Boston hates you

by LesterJohn on Jan 8, 2012 4:23 PM EST reply actions