While the Los Angeles Dodgers re-signed Blake Treinen, and Pedro Baez (Houston Astros) and Alex Wood (San Francisco Giants) have moved on to other teams, the likes of Kiké Hernandez and Justin Turner are among those still on the open market.
Both have drawn reported from multiple clubs, though only Turner has been linked to the Dodgers thus far. Indications have pointed to Hernandez signing with another team as he seeks an everyday role.
His market — at least publicly — has largely comprised of the Boston Red Sox and Minnesota Twins. According to Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com, those two teams are both heavily involved in potentially signing Hernandez:
Red Sox and Twins are competing in the market for utility guys, namely Marwin Gonzalez and Kiké Hernandez. https://t.co/oOWIJKNPWV
— Chris Cotillo (@ChrisCotillo) January 20, 2021
Per Jon Heyman of MLB Network, the New York Mets also have interest in Hernandez:
Red Sox remain high on Kike’ Hernandez. Mets and others also interested.
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) January 20, 2021
An opportunity to start every day could easily come with the Twins, particularly if they do not re-sign Marwin González. The Dodgers don’t have a clear-cut answer at second base, and it was where Hernandez earned the starting job in 2019, only to struggle and shift back to providing versatility.
Even while filling a utility role for the bulk of the past six seasons with the Dodgers, Hernandez appeared in at least 100 games in four years, including three of at least 130 games. Furthermore, Hernandez played in 80% (48) of 60 games this past season.
One expectation Dodgers will sign Semien, Turner
While there’s a widely held expectation the Dodgers will re-sign Turner, they additionally have reported interest in Marcus Semien either as a fallback option at third base or to as a utility man.
However, there is some belief L.A. may very well sign both Semien and Turner.
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