Report: Red Sox, Kiké Hernandez agree to 2-year deal

The Red Sox have agreed to a two-year, $14 million contract with utility player Kiké Hernandez, according to a report from MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand. On Thursday, MassLive reported that Boston was in talks with Hernandez and that things were heating up between the sides.

Hernandez, 29, has spent the last six seasons with the Dodgers, appearing at every position except catcher. In Boston, he will likely get a chance to be the club’s primary second baseman while also having the ability to shift to the outfield and back up Xander Bogaerts at shortstop.

Boston entered the winter with Christian Arroyo as the internal favorite to start at second base in 2021, though it was always clear that the club would actively try to upgrade via free agency. Though the Red Sox had preliminary discussions with traditional second baseman such as Kolten Wong and Cesar Hernandez, they prioritized adding a versatile player and ended up signing Hernandez over other options like Marwin Gonzalez and Jurickson Profar (who re-signed with San Diego earlier Friday).

Hernandez, according to reports, was looking for an everyday role in free agency. The signing will likely push Arroyo to a bench role and turns Michael Chavis into a candidate to either be traded or start the season at Triple-A.

Primarily a second baseman and outfielder throughout his seven major-league seasons, Hernandez is a career .240/.313/.738 hitter with 71 homers and 227 RBIs in 690 games with the Astros (2014), Marlins (2014) and Dodgers (2014-20). In Los Angeles, Hernandez became a fan favorite and won a World Series ring in 2020 after hitting .230 with five homers and a .680 OPS in 48 games last season. A right-handed hitter, Hernandez has been particularly effective against lefties during his career, posting a career .820 OPS in 784 at-bats.

Hernandez, a native of San Juan, Puerto Rico, is no stranger to Red Sox manager Alex Cora. In 2017, as Puerto Rico’s general manager for the World Baseball Classic, Cora successfully recruited Hernandez to play for the team.

Hernandez is the fourth free-agent signing for the Red Sox this winter, joining pitchers Matt Andriese and Martin Perez and outfielder Hunter Renfroe. His $14 million deal is the largest commitment the Red Sox have given to a free-agent since Chaim Bloom took over as the club’s chief baseball officer last October and is the first multi-year contract the club has given out to a free agent since Dec. 2018, when they re-signed Nathan Eovaldi to a four-year, $68 million deal.

With Hernandez in tow, the Red Sox will likely turn their attention back to making additions to their pitching staff before Opening Day. After adding $17.2 million in payroll with their four free-agent deals, Boston has roughly $24 million left to spend this winter if the club intends to stay under the $210 competitive balance tax threshold. Hernandez’s deal includes deferrals, according to The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal, though it’s unclear exactly how the salary will be paid out.

The Red Sox are still looking to upgrade their starting rotation and are in active discussions with right-hander Garrett Richards. Boston could also look to add a reliever or two and an outfielder in the coming weeks.

Boston Red Sox pursing free agent Kiké Hernandez; utility man has spent last 6 seasons with Dodgers

Red Sox rumors: Boston ‘tried hard’ to sign Jurickson Profar, remains in talks with Kiké Hernandez (report)