Longtime Mariners rotation fixture Felix Hernandez has lost his job in the starting five, manager Scott Servais told reporters (including MLB.com’s Greg Johns) after last night’s game. Hernandez will be moved to the bullpen, and while Servais left open the possibility that the former ace could become a starter again this season, the focus is clearly on Hernandez getting back any of his old form.
The decision comes on the heels of one of the worst outings of Hernandez’s 14-year career; the right-hander allowed 11 runs (seven earned) over six innings against the Rangers last Tuesday. That start underlined just what a rough season it has been for Hernandez, who has a 5.73 ERA, 7.19 K/9, 2.15 K/BB rate, and a hefty 1.5 HR/9 in 124 innings. Advanced metrics (5.03 FIP, 4.72 xFIP, 4.66 SIERA) paint only a slightly better picture of his performance this year, while Hernandez’s 39.5% hard-hit ball rate is by far the highest of his career and well beyond his 27.7% career average.
Hernandez is a completely unknown quantity as a relief pitcher, as he has started all 398 of his career Major League games, and last appeared as a reliever when he was a 19-year-old phenom pitching at the Triple-A level in 2005. It also remains to be seen how he’ll adjust to the role change on an emotional level — Hernandez simply told reporters “I’ve got nothing to say,” when asked to comment yesterday.
After several years as one of the game’s best and more durable pitchers, Hernandez’s effectiveness began to dip in 2015, and injuries limited him to just 240 total innings and 1.4 fWAR in 2016-17. Aside from a brief DL stint for back soreness in July, health doesn’t seem to be the problem for Hernandez this year, as he simply may have hit a wall at age 32 after all these years and all those innings (an average of 218 IP per season from 2006-15).
Unfortunately for Hernandez and the Mariners, the bulk of the veteran righty’s downturn has mostly coincided with the length of the seven-year, $175MM extension he signed prior to the 2013 season. Hernandez is still owed $29MM in 2019, a number that now looks like a sunk cost for the team. Between Hernandez, Robinson Cano, Kyle Seager, Dee Gordon, and Mike Leake, Seattle has over $100MM in salary committed next season towards five players who have combined for just 5.5 fWAR in 2018 (with the slight caveat of Cano’s 80-game absence due to a PED suspension).
With Hernandez now in the pen, that leaves the quartet of James Paxton, Leake, Marco Gonzales, and Wade LeBlanc as Seattle’s top four starters. Swingman Erasmo Ramirez has spent much of the season on the DL and is still rehabbing, so Casey Lawrence, Christian Bergman, or Robert Whalen could step in as the fifth starter on at least a temporary basis. Mariners GM Jerry Dipoto is no stranger to the trade market, so with the M’s still battling in the wild card race, the team can’t be counted out to make a move for a starter, if they can work out a deal through the August waiver period.
This should’ve happened a few starts ago.
Note to Mike Soscia, these are the decisions that managers who want to win make, regardless of veteran status.
How can you blame Scosia? he is saddled with a rotation where nearly every starter has a shoulder, arm or elbow injury? Richards, shoemaker, Heaney, Skaggs, ohtani the list goes on. If anything this is a front office issue and potentially a player development issue in their system.
As for Seattle, should be looking for pitching help. Estrada from the Blue Jays or Harvey from the Reds could help in the short term while costing virtually nothing.
I think his comment had to do with the use of Pujols,
I think your right that he meant pujols, even with him he still doesn’t have someone better to replace him with (as the dh)
It’s a lot harder to do with Pujols as he’s owed over $90M until his contract is up. Pujols is also still borderline effective and the Angels don’t have an obvious replacement. They can’t put Ohtani there full time. The best they could do is rotate players in the DH slot for rest.
Felix is still owed 27 million next year so it’s not like his contract is nothing either.
Who would he replace them with?
Yes, Was referring to Pujols mainly, but he’s had a habit of sticking with vets too long over all his years of managing. Maybe yiu can’t bench him, but at least drop him in the order.
It might be time for the Mariners to acquire James Shields. The larger ballpark in Seattle will certainly benefit him. Hopefully, he passes through waivers to Seattle.
replace the word James Shields with Marco Estrada.
Please make an offer for Estrada, Seattle. Toronto would appreciate it.
$20?
No it won’t. Shields was kicked off the padres with a comparable stadium and at night time a harder stadium to leave the yard
James Shields should retire
Agreed. Shields’ arm is simply too old.
King Felix earned every paid the Mariners have paid him. True to be told, the team over used Hernandez in times where they weren’t winning – He could’ve had signed with a winning team like the Yankees – but instead decided to stay. One can only guess
Great point
Agreed you can say they had multiple chances to win and never were able to capitalize on it the ken Griffey jr era they had a window but didn’t make the moves they needed to get over the top (they had very good players but needed more), ichiros entire mariners career, and Felix career they are just a poorly run franchise
Can’t overused if you’ve never played in October.
Long live the king….
Let’s not act like this is the end of the King, Verlander had some troubles at around the same age and now look at him. Felix needs to use the rest of the season and offseason to realize he can’t throw like he use to and needs to change his approach
Yea maybe he can go to Houston and magically return, with a little secret spin rate sauce.
He may need to be introduced to a thing called pine tar…no bat needed
That’s a horrible comp. Hernandez has lost at least 5 MPH off his sinker and fastball while Verlander MAINTAINED velocity.
Verlander was down to 90-92 mph in 2014 or 2015 before re-conditioning his body. The M’s director of high performance said she could get Felix back to throwing 94.
I have hope for Felix next season but idk about this year…
Verlander has said that Kate Upton saved his career so if Felix is struggling maybe he should…oh, never mind.
Marco Estrada is now healthy and just came off a dominant performance his last start. I think he pitches tonight so many eyes will be watching him. Could be a great addition. His stuff would play well in that ballpark.
Does anyone think the Mariners would trade him in the off season?
How much money will they eat? That’s have to eat a lot of money to get anything of value back
They would need to eat all the contract and be willing to accept org filler.
If Felix still had his stuff and was getting rocked because of poor control showing pitches or whatever sure.
He’s lost a ton though and at this point he’s at very best a fifth starter
Teams will take him but it will need to be at no cost no risk.
Right now it’s like he’s 5-8 years older then he says.
Who would want him?
I believe he has 10-5 rights, so he isn’t going anywhere.
Many players waive 10-5 rights for a good opportunity
Back in 2014 Verlander’s fastball was all the way down to 89 mph. He also gave up the most runs of any starter in the MLB.
If you’re getting this info from the Bleacher Report feature, you are twisting the part about his fastball. It says his fastball was at 90 on it’s low end, which probably means it was sitting around 91 or 92 on average, which isn’t 89.
Guy averaged 93.1 on the FB, not 89
Took him a few years to adjust to Kate Upton. Understandable.
Does this mean we call him Kingpen now
Lol, that’s great
Just ship him off to Texas in the offseason. Sadly that’s becoming a meme, as they’ll insert anyone with a working arm into their rotation.
Andrew Cashner is available, would be cheap in prospect cost, and is controlled for one more year.
He’s done well in Baltimore but has been betrayed by the hideous defense behind him, and in a huge place like Seattle he’s probably be quite successful.
It would make a heck of a movie when the King leads the Mariners to the Championship this fall.
Wild idea here. How about a trade of Felix + cash for Homer Bailey? Or Felix, cash and 2 PTBNL for Bailey and Harvey?
I doubt the Mariners would want those guys
They showed interest in Harvey before the deadline
I bet if Felix has a change of scenery he gets a Verlander-esque revival. He’s not old at 32. He’s got time to figure it out
it says he had no comment which probably means he’s pissed. Why can’t these guys accept the fact that they aren’t as good as they used to be and take the demotion like a man?
This organization missed the opportunity 4/5 years ago to trade this asset for anywhere from 3-5 very good big league prospects. The former GM just stubbornly held onto him and cost this franchise.
Felix for Yu?
Maybe a minor leaguer to balance it out
Hey Jerry, there’s a guy named Bartolo who’s been pretty effective and consistent.