How Kiké Hernández’s 2023 contract extension could impact other key Red Sox players
The Boston Red Sox will say goodbye to several impending free agents at the end of this season.
Kiké Hernández won’t be one of them.
Late Monday night, Jeff Passan announced that the Sox were in agreement with the super-utilityman on a one-year, $10M contract extension for the 2023 season.
While Hernández is coming off an injury-ridden season that limited him to 67 games (with 26 left to play), the Sox have seen firsthand what he can do when healthy. In addition to being a stellar and versatile defender, he was one of their best hitters in 2021, finishing the regular season with 20 home runs and a career-high 35 doubles. During their unexpectedly deep October, he tied David Ortiz’s franchise record of five home runs in one postseason run.
How does Kiké Hernández’s 2023 contract extension impact other Red Sox players, including Xander Bogaerts?
Including Xander Bogaerts, who could opt out after this season, the Sox currently have less than $100M in guaranteed money on the 2023 payroll. And either way, $10M is a steal for what Hernández brings to the table: 500 outfield appearances, 250 at second, 96 at shortstop, even a little first and third. He’s even pitched before. And between his years with the perennially contending Los Angeles Dodgers and last season with the Sox, he’s got 69 games of postseason experience under his belt.
The question isn’t ‘Was this a good idea?,’ but rather, how retaining him impacts several other players who play the same positions, including Jarren Duran, Xander Bogaerts, and Christian Arroyo, not to mention prospects like Jeter Downs. Most of the baseball world is begging the Sox to come to terms with Bogaerts, who’s more than proven himself to the organization over his decade in the majors, but the Sox signed Trevor Story last spring, and he can play second and shortstop. Arroyo has been scorching hot at the plate since returning from the Injured List, but he’s had terrible luck with injuries. Still, he’s under club control until 2025. Duran was supposed to be a huge part of this team’s future back when he was a top prospect, but he’s been subpar at the plate and in the outfield since his 2021 debut, leading to a demotion back to Triple-A in August. Is there even room for Downs in the Sox infield of the future?
Getting Hernández before he reached free agency was a savvy move, as he would’ve had several suitors. It’s also a sign that the front office is ready to look ahead to next year, as they should; this season is a road to nowhere.
So, if the Sox are handing out contract extensions now, how about getting Bogaerts, Devers, and Michael Wacha locked up?
