Pitcher Félix “Rey” Hernández is the latest player to opt out of the 2020 season, as his agent Wilfredo Polidor tweeted last night. The former Mariners veteran and former AL Cy Young Award winner signed a minor league deal with the Braves in January and was named to Atlanta’s starting pool of 60.
Concerns about the COVID-19 crisis prompted Hernández’s decision, as has been the common theme among other players such as David Price, Ian Desmond, Joe Ross, Tyson Ross, Mike Leake, Ryan Zimmerman and Welington Castillo who also declined to playing the shortened 2020 season. That list is sure to grow in the coming days and weeks as more players consider their personal situations and health situations in the United States.
In Hernandez’s case, he will give up what was shaping up to be an interesting comeback attempt in spring training. The right-hander has struggled with both injury and ineffectiveness the past three seasons, including a 6.40 ERA in 71 2/3 innings in 2019. Leaving Seattle after 15 years, Hernandez met the Braves and posted a 1.98 ERA in 13 2/3 frames of spring training work, creating some excitement that “King Felix” had a recovery performance in the tank.
Hernandez was a favorite for the open rotation spot because of Cole Hamels’ injury, although the delayed start to the 2020 season has meant that Hamels will likely be available for the new Opening Day (projected for July 23). This left only the starting fifth place, with Kyle Wright and Sean Newcomb in competition with Hernandez. The Braves may team up with other teams to deploy a six-man rotation or more creative methods like starters or starters in tow to keep everyone fresh, though they will have one less option available with Hernandez now unavailable.
Retirement was definitely not on Hernandez’s mind last September, and while staying out of the season doesn’t mean Hernandez is any closer to calling it a career, he will face a tougher road to finding another underage deal this coming winter.
Despite his past record, the right-hander will be hampered by his lack of recent results, his age (35 next April) and the fact that Hernandez will have gone more than 18 months without a major league appearance.
The 2020-21 free agent market is also likely to be the most unusual and competitive in history, as the team’s financial constraints could result in many veterans having to settle for lower-than-expected deals, squeezing even more. The market for comeback projects like Hernandez That said, there is no risk to a team visiting Hernandez on a minor league contract and seeing what he has in store for next spring. (GG) (Taken from MLB Rumors)
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