Red Sox: Signing Kiké Hernandez is a step in the right direction for Boston

Bringing in Kiké Hernandez is a positive step for the Red Sox

It’s taken what’s felt like forever for the Boston Red Sox to make something happen this offseason and the move finally happened this evening. Per Mark Feinsand of MLB.com and Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, former Dodger Kiké Hernandez will be making his way to Fenway Park on a two-year/$14M deal. With spring training right around the corner, it was about time the organization made a move towards the future.

I’ve already seen some mixed reactions to the signing despite the ink on the paper not even being dry. There’s a section of the fanbase that wants the big names to be brought in every winter and for the budget to be destroyed. That’s not going to happen, and we all know that. Yesterday I wrote that the Red Sox needed to do something, it didn’t need to be an earth-shattering signing, but they needed to do something to prove to the fans they weren’t rolling over. That’s exactly what this move achieves.

If you don’t think adding a player the level of Hernandez to this roster doesn’t help them improve then I’ve got nothing for ya here friend. The seven-year veteran has played every position imaginable beyond catching. That’s right, he has been penciled in at eight of the possible nine positions on the field. Considering the Red Sox are very shallow in the depth department, having a guy that can play literally everywhere is a plus.

Over the last few seasons, Kiké has spent a majority of his time at second base or in the outfield, two of Boston’s weakest positional areas at the moment. We still have no idea whether or not Andrew Benintendi will get traded and despite the interest, it’s really hard to see Jackie Bradley Jr. back in centerfield. So as of now, the Red Sox have just Hunter Renfroe and Alex Verdugo in the outfield, which leads me to my next point.

Verdugo and Hernandez played together with the Dodgers and for all intents and purposes have a solid relationship on and off the field. That’ll give Alex Cora an instant chemistry match for his newest player. Having two of your three outfielders with previous playing time together will allow them to pick up where they left off and should also make it easier for either Renfroe or Benintendi to fit right in.

The other main area he’ll be plying his trade is at second base which has been a black hole since the departure of Dustin Pedroia. A small army has taken over the mantle in the years since Pedey was taken out by Manny Machado but now it looks like we may have our guy. Even if he doesn’t get to play there every night, he’s a higher quality infielder than what the Sox have at the position currently.

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Other aspects that make this a good signing fall right on the deal itself. The two years at Hernandez’s age, 29, isn’t something that will sink Boston going forward. If anything, it will make life easier as they can just bounce him around if Chaim Bloom decides to promote Jeter Downs or Jarren Duran this season. That pair of years will also buy the team time to get their two top prospects more time to develop as both missed out in 2020 due to the lack of a MiLB season.

Next up is the money that brought him to Fenway Park. A cool $14M is nothing to scoff at by anyone but it also brings a quality guy that Boston could use for a price that lets them keep the budget nice and low. That’s the name of the game for Chaim right now and he’s going to execute his plan to the fullest extent. Bringing in high potential players for a budget price is going to be what we see from Bloom and this may be one of his better signings.

I think once fans see Hernandez on the field and what he’s capable of on a nightly basis many will realize this is a much better signing than what it feels like right now. He can play anywhere that Cora needs him to while being able to deliver quality defense and a consistent bat at any point in the lineup. It’s a short-term deal for an amount of money that won’t hurt the team going forward. It’s exactly the type of thing that the Red Sox need right now to show they’re heading in the right direction for the future.