Rays close to signing Roberto Hernandez

The Tampa Bay Rays are reportedly close to signing veteran starting pitcher Roberto Hernandez, formerly known as Fausto Carmona of the Cleveland Indians. Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reported that Andrew Friedman and the Rays were close to adding Hernandez, who would provide depth to the rotation or be a potential long reliever out of the pen.

Hernandez spent much of last season tied up with Dominican and USA authorities, working to get his visa after it was discovered in the offseason that he had lied to authorities about his name and age. He did end up making an appearance in the majors with the Tribe, posting a 7.53 ERA in just three starts before getting injured.

When his stuff is working, Hernandez has proven to be an effective starter. But that's rarely been seen since the 2007 season, when he contended with teammate CC Sabathia for the AL Cy Young Award. Hernandez lacks confidence, but he has one of the best sinkers in baseball if he can control it -- a pitch Torii Hunter once called the nastiest in the big leagues. But he's been so shaky and inconsistent since that one breakout season, he's nothing more than a flyer at this point who could add depth.