For the first time in his illustrious 15-year career, Félix Hernández will wear the colors of a team not named the Seattle Mariners. The 33-year-old future Hall of Famer has signed a one-year, minor league contract with the Atlanta Braves that comes with a non-roster invite to Spring Training.
There was practically no chance Hernández would return to the Mariners after hitting free agency for the first time in his career. The last four seasons were a tough fall from grace to witness for Hernández, who finished eighth-worst in fWAR amongst qualified pitchers over that time, and his relationship with the organization started to strain once the Mariners finally acknowledged—and did something about—his growing mediocrity.