Roughly one month from the scheduled start of 2021 Spring Training, several of this offseason’s Los Angeles Dodgers free agents are still available, including Kiké Hernandez, Joc Pederson and Justin Turner, among others.
The Dodgers have long been considered a favorite for Turner, who would re-sign with the club for a second time if he indeed does return. Meanwhile, it has looked much more likely that Hernandez would be among those moving on from the Dodgers.
Pedro Baez (Houston Astros) and Alex Wood (San Francisco Giants) have already done so. Hernandez has most prominently drawn interest from the likes of the Boston Red Sox, Minnesota Twins and New York Mets.
On the heels of a report indicating Boston had been in recent contact with Hernandez, the two sides are now said to have agreed to a two-year contract, per Mark Feinsand of MLB.com:
Per source, Hernandez’s deal with the Red Sox is for two years and $14 million. https://t.co/59edxPM6nM
— Mark Feinsand (@Feinsand) January 23, 2021
Earlier this offseason it was suggested Hernandez only was seeking a one-year deal so he could again reach free agency when teams might be more willing to spend. That suggested re-signing with the Dodgers may have been a likely resolution, but Hernandez covets an everyday role.
That presumably would come with the Red Sox, as they are one of multiple teams in need of a second baseman. With L.A., he would be much more likely to continue filling a utility role. But even with that, Hernandez appeared in at least 100 games in four of the past six years with the Dodgers, including three of at least 130 games
Mets remained interested in Hernandez
While Hernandez and the Red Sox were making progress toward a deal, it was also reported the Mets still had him high atop their list of free agent targets.
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