NewsHernandez, Bard file for free agency
Both players signed Minor League deals with Nats in '09
By Alden Gonzalez / MLB.com
11/05/09 7:42 PM EST
On Thursday, the first day eligible free agents can file, Josh Bard and Livan Hernandez opted to test the open market.Major League players with expiring contracts and six years of Major League service time can elect to file for free agency for 15 days after the World Series. During that time, that player's previous club has exclusive negotiating rights. After that, they're free to sign with any team.
Hernandez, 34, was signed to a Minor League deal by the Nationals in late August and finished the season 2-4 with a 5.36 ERA in eight starts. For his 14-year career, Hernandez has 156 wins and a 4.45 ERA.
The veteran right-hander has topped 200 innings nine times in his career -- most recently in 2007 -- and can be an innings eater at the back end of the rotation if the Nationals choose to bring him back.
Washington would like to add a couple of veteran arms to the rotation this offseason, but whether Hernandez is one of them is still in question.
Bard, signed to a Minor League deal in March after being released by the Red Sox, batted .230 with six home runs and 31 RBIs in 90 games. The 31-year-old switch-hitting catcher likely won't be back, considering the Nationals want to acquire a front-line catcher while Jesus Flores recovers from shoulder surgery and Wil Nieves is already a potential backup.
Left on the potential free-agent list for the Nationals are first baseman Dmitri Young, lefty reliever Ron Villone and outfielder Austin Kearns, who has a $10 million option for next year along with a $1 million buyout.
Alden Gonzalez is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
