Livan Wants To Be Nats Opening Day Starter

Bill Ladson at Nationals.com rites about Livan Hernandez and how he now wants to pitch for the Nationals and be their opening day starter:

Wednesday, Hernandez said he would like to play for the Nationals and be their Opening Day starter on March 30 against the Braves at the new Nationals Park.

Hernandez, 32, indicated that he wants to play where he is happy and he enjoyed his time with the Nationals/Expos for three-plus years. His time with Washington came to an end on Aug. 7, 2006, when general manager Jim Bowden traded him to the Arizona Diamondbacks for pitchers Matt Chico and Garrett Mock. The Nationals were looking to rebuild their farm system when the trade was made.

"I was the Opening Day starter when the Nationals came to Washington [in 2005]. It would be nice to have that same feeling [at the new park]. Sometimes, it's not about the money. It's how you feel," Hernandez said by phone. "I would love to go to Washington. There are things to do over there. Maybe the [Nationals'] budget [is low]. I'm willing to work with anything."

Now Livan Would Love To Pitch For The Marlins

At Rotoworld they write about Livan Hernandez and how he would love to pitch for the Marlins:

Free agent Livan Hernandez said he'd love to pitch for the Marlins, but "they don't have any money."

Except they do have plenty of money, and they'll almost surely be one of baseball's most profitable teams next year. They just don't want to spend it on players. The Hernandez front has been quiet for weeks now. The Mets seem to be pursuing Kyle Lohse over him, and there hasn't been anyone else that he's known to have talked to lately.

Livan Declines Arbitration

From Ed Ryan at Mets Fever (Network Member):

There was a slim chance that Livan Hernandez would accept arbitration and stay with the D-Backs for one more year. In fact the D-Backs were reported to be willing to have him back on a one year contract, but that discussion came to an end last night with Livan declining arbitration. The East Valley Tribune reporting on Hernandez's immediately links the Mets to him, reciting his history with Omar and his desire to pitch with his brother.

If Livan is signed he basically had the same numbers as Glavine and would give the club the flexibility to make a trade. A big name pitcher may cost Maine or Perez and Pelfrey or Humber, Livan would fill out the bottom of the rotation while allowing the next generation of pitchers to develop (Mulvey- Guerra).

Durability was Hernandez’s best feature in his only full season with the D-Backs, when he was 11-11 with a 4.93 ERA in 2007 while pitching 204 1/3 innings, the 15th most in the NL.Hernandez made 19 quality starts but gave up an NL-high 247 hits. His style of pitching around certain hitters to get to others was evident in his 1.60 ratio of hits and walks to innings pitched, the third-worst ratio in the league. source East Valley Tribune

Mets Meet With Livan's Agent

At MLB Trade Rumors they write about the Mets and their meeting with Livan Hernanedz's agent:

Omar Minaya met with Hernandez's agent, and the Mets seem plenty interested. However, if Hernandez is the only starter the Mets come away with this winter, fans will be quite disappointed.

A few other clubs like the Nationals and Phillies have some interest in Hernandez.

Mets Have Some Interest In Livan

At Rotoworld they write about the Mets and their mild interest in Livan Hernandez:

The New York Post reports that the Mets "have some interest" in Livan Hernandez, but "not to an overwhelming degree."

General manager Omar Minaya's interest in mid-level pitchers like Hernandez might remain cool until he determines whether or not top-level guys like Johan Santana, Dan Haren or Erik Bedard are attainable.

He Looks Like A Met To Me

John Heyman at Sports Illistrated writes about Livan Hernandez and the comment of one GM:

Livan Hernandez is among the best of a bad lot of free-agent pitchers (the others are Carlos Silva and Kyle Lohse). As one competing exec said of Livan, "He looks like a Met to me.'' GM Omar Minaya, a big fan of both the Hernandez brothers, has employed brother Orlando in two places but Livan in only one so far (Montreal).

Mets May Focus On Livan

Ben Shpigel at The New York Times writes about the Mets and their possible interest in Livan Hernandez:

As always, Minaya is on the lookout for pitching, but there may be only one member of an underwhelming crop of free agents that he may seriously consider. That would be Liván Hernández, the half-brother of Orlando Hernández. Liván Hernández could offset the expected loss of Tom Glavine, who has pitched more than 198 innings in each of the last four seasons. The 204 1/3 innings Hernández pitched for Arizona last season were his fewest since 1999 (199 2/3).