When Kiké Hernández became a free agent for the first time in his career, it was fresh off of helping the Los Angeles Dodgers win the 2020 World Series and with a desire to take on an everyday role.
That wound up coming to fruition with the Boston Red Sox, who signed the super utility man to a two-year, $14 million contract. Boston then signed Hernández to a one-year, $10 million extension in September 2022.
It was with the intention of Hernández becoming the starting center fielder for Boston last season, but plans changed when Trevor Story underwent right elbow surgery. Hernández slid over to shortstop and uncharacteristically at the position while also failing to consistently produce at the plate.
The Red Sox faced a roster crunch and wound up trading Hernández to the Dodgers, where he enjoyed somewhat of a resurgence.
Free agency still was slow moving for the 32-year-old and it’s only just come to an end with Hernández agreeing to re-sign with the Dodgers, according to Jeff Passan of ESPN:
Superutilityman Kiké Hernandez and the Los Angeles Dodgers are nearing a one-year contract, sources tell ESPN. The deal would come on the heels of Manuel Margot trade to Minnesota being finalized. The trade will include cash going from the Dodgers to Twins, according to sources.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) February 26, 2024
Sources say….. I’m back!!!
1st to break news @myself
— Enrique Hernández (@kikehndez) February 26, 2024
With Spring Training games now underway for all teams, Hernández was said to be closing in on a decision during the weekend. That was followed by a report of the Los Angeles Angels, San Diego Padres, Minnesota Twins and San Francisco Giants making up the group of finalists for Hernández.
The Angels were the team most connected to him throughout the offseason, but they reportedly held a belief Hernández preferred to re-sign with the Dodgers. That was a sentiment Hernández expressed early into free agency, but the likelihood of remaining with the Dodgers never appeared high.
That quickly changed Monday with the Dodgers reaching a tentative agreement to trade Manuel Margot to the Twins.
Kiké Hernández embraces postseason pressure
While Hernández enjoyed previous postseason success with the Dodgers, the team fell flat in October last year as they were swept by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the National League Division Series.
After losing the first two games, the Dodgers lineup changed as they faced elimination in the desert. Although they still lost Game 3, Hernández did his best to help spark the offense, going 2-for-4 with an RBI.
“I’m no mental performance coach, no brain doctor or anything. Just the way I put it is, I like to be in the moment. I want to be in the big moment. I want the big at-bat,” answered Hernández when asked about his postseason stats.
“I feel like I’ve been preparing for these types of moments my entire life. I never just dreamed about playing the big leagues, but I always envisioned myself, as a little kid, playing in the World Series, big moments in the World Series.
“I think possibly a little bit of it comes with culture. In Puerto Rico, at a very young age, games mean a lot and you’ve got parents on the other side talking a lot of smack. So when you’re a young kid and you get exposed to that at a very early age, it kind of prepares you for the bigger picture. And I think experience helps a lot.
“I’ve been fortunate enough to be on some really good teams that have made it deep into October, and it’s allowed me to play a lot of games in October. Experience means a lot when it comes to these types of moments.”
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