There was a lot of ballyhoo about Livan Hernandez being traded to a contender before the non-waiver trading deadline on July 31, but it never happened.  So, hoping to still ship off the man with a rubber arm, the Washington Nationals put Hernandez on waivers, hoping he would clear them so that the Nats could trade Hernandez to any team.  However the Diamondbacks put a crimp in their plan by putting a claim in on Hernandez, so the Nationals had no choice in trading partners if the Nats really wanted to trade him.

Apparently, they did.

The Nationals received two pitching prospects in right-hander Garrett Mock and left-hander Matt Chico and, man, did the Nationals minors system need a pick me up.  For the season, Mock had a 4-8 record with a 4.95 ERA in 23 starts, while Chico was 7-2 with a 2.22 ERA in 13 starts.  Both are considered very good strikeout pitchers.

Hernandez will add strength to the pitching staff as, besides All Star Brandon Webb, the D-Backs have very little in the way of talent, composure, and experience.  Hernandez started off very badly in the beginning of the season and I thought that all those innings over several seasons FINALLY got to Hernandez.  But, then he had to go and reel off four straight solid games just recently.

It would have been interesting to see where Hernandez went had he cleared waivers.  I’m sure the Nats probably could have gotten a little more, but since it seems the Nats are playing for the future, it really doesn’t matter because who can predict the future.  It’s not like Nostradamus is in the Nats’ front office. 

Either way, it’s a win-win trade as the D-Backs get a proven pitcher to hel p them push for the N.L. West crown.  And the Nats get to bolster their farm system.