Posted by Zach Sanders on Friday, November 13, 2009 at 12:10 am

Every year when I hear someone is thinking about signing Livan Hernandez, I chuckle and make fun of the team that wants him. Let’s face it, he throws a low 80’s sinker with minimal movement and doesn’t get ground balls. He’s pretty sad. Add in his 6′2″ 245 lb (more like 305) frame and you have someone dying to be the butt of a joke.

While I think everyone agrees he’s not a top tier starter in the league, the jury is still out for some people to decide whether or not he is worthy of a roster spot. The Mets locked him up late last offseason to battle for the #5 spot, and he won it without much of a fight due to injuries.

Now, the Arizona Diamondbacks are interested in bringing Livan in to compete with their youngsters for the #5 spot. Other teams will likely inquire as to Livan’s eligibility this offseason as their other (better) options slip away. There are pros and cons for allowing Livan to come into camp and compete with younger prospects, so let’s examine some of them.

Pro: You can never have too much veteran savvy!

Con: Your young starters don’t get the chance to develop at the major league level.

Pro: Livan consistently eats (with a few peppers and a sprinkle of cheddar) 180+ innings a year.

Con: Those 180+ innings make your fans want to vomit.

The biggest question that you have to answer, is “how valuable are innings anyway?” From a simple, logical perspective, innings are in high demand. The ability to keep your bullpen rested and keep your starters in a normal rotation is nice, and is something every team is looking for. From a numerical standpoint, it’s the same way. While having a 4.44 FIP and 5.53 tRA, Livan was still worth $7.7 million in ‘09 according to FanGraphs.

If Livan continues to chow down on the innings, he will be of interest to some MLB teams. Come playoff time he is too much of a liability to pitch in a game, but during the regular season it isn’t a big deal once every five days. If I was a GM (seriously, why aren’t I?), I would much rather allow a young starter to get some MLB innings, allowing me to evaluate him more closely than I could in the minors.

Someone will sign Livan Hernandez, and when they do, that sound you hear is my laughter.