2:25pm: The deal guarantees Hernandez $750K, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports tweets.
1:56pm: The Braves will sign Livan Hernandez, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com tweets. The agreement, a one-year Major League deal, comes hours after the Astros released the veteran right-hander. The Braves have announced the signing.
Even with Tim Hudson sidelined on the disabled list, it seemed as though the Braves would have more than enough starting pitching this year. However, neither Randall Delgado nor Julio Teheran seized the fifth starter's job.
Hernandez posted a 4.47 ERA with 5.1 K/9, 2.4 BB/9 and a 42.4% ground ball rate in 175 1/3 innings for the 2011 Nationals. The 37-year-old Praver/Shapiro client has averaged 216 innings and a 4.44 ERA since 1998, his first full season as a big league starter, and has completed at least 175 innings in each of the past 14 seasons. He earned $1.25MM in 2011.
That was quick…
atlanta calling the baseball gods’ bluff on this ‘you can never have too much pitching’ thing
that was quick
Great news for the rest of the NL East.
i guess he’s gonna DH when we play the AL
Again.. I don’t understand… there is no way this guy is making the Braves roster.. why bother.. perhaps he is the bat off the bench we were looking for?
He used to own ATL…. not so much anyone else. Great long man though. And honestly, his stats last year were not bad for 1.25 million.
I’m glad we got that 3B/LF problem solved. At least we don’t have to face him anymore….
…what??? Why?
He adds pitching depth, a bat off the bench and can’t beat us .. he may even end up as part of a deal for a bat.
I’m sure that’s exactly what every team wants to do. Trade a good bat for a 37-year old pitcher who just got released by the Astros. While we’re at it, you might as well throw in Nate McLouth if you still have him and I’m sure a team will gladly give up their ace as well.
Depth yes, part of a trade no…he’s got next to no value.
Good signing for the Braves, give them some protection if the young guys stumble…but it’s nothing beyond that.
as much as I admire him, I think he will not succeed and plus we dont really need too bad.
He’ll be fun to watch, sucks to be Buddy Carlyle though.
As much as i love Livo, the braves do realize that its not a good idea to sign a guy just so you don’t have to face him, right?
Glad they have money to waste
Good insurance for the 5th starter spot- innings eater who might be decent enough to go 10-10 with a 4.25 era. Could be worse we could still have D Lowe.
This is awesome, hope the Nationals get to see him at some point
Does anyone take into account that this signing is going to hurt the Brave’s Pockets very much… Think about this as well, Teheran is probably going to start in Triple-A, Delgado may as well. They can pick his brain and learn some pretty valuable things from him I am sure.
750k isnt going to hurt our pockets, and def not “very much”…we just traded away a AAA player for cash considerations last week so its probably a wash as far as $ goes…
Ahhh….meant to type isn’t ….personally I like the signing
So Buddy Caryle or Todd Redmon can’t provide as much or more than Livan?
Buddy Carlyle still plays? Wasnt he in the Braves’ rotation in like 2006?
That was Kitty Carlisle 😉
That’s an old reference to tell the truth. 🙂
HAHAHA Was wondering if anyone would catch it!
I watch those on Youtube. Great show.
It sure was.. Only way could have made it better (and all of them from the 70’s) was to share “Gene, Gene the dancing machine” from the *Gong Show* and have him on all those old 70’s game shows….
Got diabetes and took some time off. Great story that he’s made his way back…again.
This signing makes sense.
Cory Gearrin (18 1/3 MLB innings) and Yohan Flande (0 MLB innings) were both projected to make the opening day roster because they didn’t really have anyone else. Signing Livan gives them a low-cost long reliever/spot starter, and he won’t kill a team in that role.
That would give the Braves the option to use Cristhian Martinez as 6th or 7th inning guy. Not a bad signing if the price is right.
Great signing for the Braves. They add depth to their a very young starting rotation with a veteran pitcher. This also allows us to shop some of the other players for a OF.
Interesting. I like the signing if just to have the veteran presence on such a young staff.
It looks like Livan will finally have some money to pay off his debt back to Suntrust!
First, Jack Wilson … now Livan Hernandez … what an offseason!!!
So the Braves traded Jairo Ascensio who’s dominated the minors as a closer for three years for cash so we could afford Livan? I get he can spot start but so could Redmond or Medlen or Martinez. I don’t get this one in the least bit.
The way things are looking, will probably need him to eat innings when JJ and other movable guys are traded at the deadline.
Seriously!! I love Livan, but why are they ignoring Kris Medlen? He was awesome before his TJ as a starter.
Young pitchers on the Braves staff would do well to listen to whatever advice Livan has to give.. He’s been in the game for 16 years, and was a World Series MVP.. Don’t underestimate the power of being able to soak up his baseball knowledge.
he also hits well for a pitcher so thats great
This move was made as a bullpen move and in that regard I like it. He could make a spot start here or their too. He is said to not to effect the 5th rotation spot between Delgado and Teheran(considered to be Delgado now).
Everyone here is overreacting. Yes, it has been a quite off-season for the Braves but they feel as if they will run with the team we have and if need be, make some trades after the first few weeks/month of baseball. This move was made to add depth to the bullpen and bring in a veteran. Outside of Hudson we have a very young pitching staff. It never hurts to add someone who has been in the playoffs and won a WS MVP. This was a small time move.
Jaime Moyer must be pissed. He’s no longer the oldest guy in the league.
How do you figure that? Moyer is 49, Livan is 37. That isn’t even close.
It was a joke. Wow.
Do I really have to explain it?
Chill out peeps. According to Mark Bowman and Dave O’Brien, he’s the long reliever. Not the 5th starter. Signing him takes alot of pressure off of Christhian Martinez and Kris Medlen
Chill out guys, he’s the long reliever. Not the 5th starter.
I don’t see where they placed Tim Hudson on the DL? Only Vizcaino
Make of the signing what you will but the guy absolutely eats up innings which is what this team could have used last season. Fredi G worked that bullpen to death last year (Venters’ and Kimbrel’s arms had fallen off by September) so hopefully Hernandez can possibly save some of the wear and tear the rest of the pen might be exposed to should the starters not make it past 5-6 innings.
I’ve always thought Medlen should have bee in the rotation this year. Much more valuable as a starter vs a long reliever or giving the big 3 at the back end of the rotation a break once in awhile. Once Hudson is healthy….Hudson, Hanson, JJ, Beachy and Medlen. Let the young guys throw in the minors….if they deal JJ or there is an injury..you have the young arms to call up or use Livian.
This signing makes much more sense after watching Teheran’s implosion today.