Red Sox sign Enrique Hernandez (2 years, 14 mil)

Beomoose

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The couple LAD fans in my life love him, and I do like gritty guys who can play multiple positions.

Welcome aboard, Kiké.
 

NJ_Sox_Fan

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Finally something to at least be somewhat excited by. Always liked him. Has some real pop too.
 

chawson

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Awesome. Super fun player. Good Fenway swing with major loft (though he pops up about 15% of the time). Probably a steal of a CF -- though my read there is that we can probably close the book on JBJ's return.
 

nattysez

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The way these guys are pinching pennies, $7m a year for a utility player who has had an OPS+ over 100 once since 2015 strikes me as excessive.
 

Dewey'sCannon

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At worst, he's a great super-utility guy - a better version of Brock Holt, solid defense (rather than just passable) at multiple positions including middle IF and CF, and a little bit of pop.

Not sure he hits enough to be an everyday player, and I'd rather have JBJ out in CF, but this is a good hedge in case some other team is willing to offer JBJ 3/30 (which I don't think the Sox would do). And if we can somehow bring Jackie back, Kike will still get plenty of playing time as a super UT guy.
 

snowmanny

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The way these guys are pinching pennies, $7m a year for a utility player who has had an OPS+ over 100 once since 2015 strikes me as excessive.
Are they pinching pennies? I expect the Red Sox to spend pretty liberally at least by next year.
 

Minneapolis Millers

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Like him. Yes, more than Profar at 3/21. But I fear this means no JBJ. Hope I’m wrong. He could be the starting 2Bman and back-up SS.
 

amRadio

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Where can I learn more about his defense? This move makes about as much sense as Peraza did unless Kike has some glove.
 

Ale Xander

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Rather have him at 2/$14 than Profar at 3/$21
Definitely this. He can play a lot of positions, some of them well, and has more pop in his bat than one would expect. Should become a crowd favorite early on. He's getting like a 12x bump in pay though so hopefully not to many Burger King Johnnys out there. And let's hope everyone properly pronounces his name.
 
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chawson

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Like him. Yes, more than Profar at 3/21. But I fear this means no JBJ. Hope I’m wrong. He could be the starting 2Bman and back-up SS.
I’m really curious about his role too. Handing him the starting 2B job carries the opportunity cost of developing Arroyo, and all but assures Chavis is off the 26-man. And then we’d still need a CF.

I think we should give Hernandez a shot at being the full-time CF. Then sign a 400 PA kind of guy who’s solid vs. RHP and can play 2B/1B and a corner outfield position, pushing Verdugo to CF once a week or so. A guy like Danny Santana, Jonathan Villar or Brad Miller would make a lot of sense right now unless there are major moves to come (Ozuna, Semien, Beni trade).
 

Minneapolis Millers

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I’m really curious about his role too. Handing him the starting 2B job carries the opportunity cost of developing Arroyo, and all but assures Chavis is off the 26-man. And then we’d still need a CF.

I think we should give Hernandez a shot at being the full-time CF. Then sign a 400 PA kind of guy who’s solid vs. RHP and can play 2B/1B and a corner outfield position, pushing Verdugo to CF once a week or so. A guy like Danny Santana, Jonathan Villar or Brad Miller would make a lot of sense right now unless there are major moves to come (Ozuna, Semien, Beni trade).
Bloom really seems to value versatility and roster flexibility. Hernandez? Could be a main dish. Could be a side dish (but this deal is big enough $ to suggest otherwise; he should start at this price). We could still resign JBJ. Could sign Ozuna. Hernandez still fits.

Side note: And he’s not so expensive that we can't still get more (some) good pitching!
 
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mauf

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The way these guys are pinching pennies, $7m a year for a utility player who has had an OPS+ over 100 once since 2015 strikes me as excessive.
It’s unusual to have a guy who isn’t a transcendent athlete like Mookie yet can capably play both 2B and CF. But Hernandez is a better option at either position than anyone else currently on the roster (assuming Verdugo is staying in RF), so my assumption is they’ll sign someone else to play one of those two positions and hand the other to Hernandez. His positional flexibility gives the Sox options to salvage some value if he isn’t good enough to play every day, but Hernandez is not getting 2/14 with the expectation that he’ll be a utility guy.
 

nvalvo

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I’m really curious about his role too. Handing him the starting 2B job carries the opportunity cost of developing Arroyo, and all but assures Chavis is off the 26-man. And then we’d still need a CF.

I think we should give Hernandez a shot at being the full-time CF. Then sign a 400 PA kind of guy who’s solid vs. RHP and can play 2B/1B and a corner outfield position, pushing Verdugo to CF once a week or so. A guy like Danny Santana, Jonathan Villar or Brad Miller would make a lot of sense right now unless there are major moves to come (Ozuna, Semien, Beni trade).
I mean, yeah.

38263
 

nvalvo

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Also, time for everyone on this board to familiarize themselves with how they add an accent to the letter é on their devices.

(On a Macintosh computer, you can either hold down the e key to get a selection of diacritics, or else type opt-e followed by the letter you wish to place the accent over.)
 

Sam Ray Not

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Also, time for everyone on this board to familiarize themselves with how they add an accent to the letter é on their devices.

(On a Macintosh computer, you can either hold down the e key to get a selection of diacritics, or else type opt-e followed by the letter you wish to place the accent over.)
Or just have SoSH auto-correct it, Buchholz-style?
 

Earthbound64

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Also, time for everyone on this board to familiarize themselves with how they add an accent to the letter é on their devices.

(On a Macintosh computer, you can either hold down the e key to get a selection of diacritics, or else type opt-e followed by the letter you wish to place the accent over.)
Alt+0233 on Windows PC.

But then, everyone should have learned that 20+ years ago for Pokémon.
 

chawson

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I was hoping for Semien, but will take it.
A Semien deal still seems possible. If so-so athletes like Arroyo, Chavis and Moustakas can learn to play a passable second base in the era of heavy shifting, it doesn’t seem like a great use of resources to sign a plus center fielder like Hernandez to man the keystone full time.

Of course that’s also an argument against signing Semien, but the situation is different there because he’d also be Bogaerts/Devers insurance.

Also, time for everyone on this board to familiarize themselves with how they add an accent to the letter é on their devices.

(On a Macintosh computer, you can either hold down the e key to get a selection of diacritics, or else type opt-e followed by the letter you wish to place the accent over.)
The Globe should run this as a sidebar.
 

soxhop411

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I wonder how long it will take for one of the assholes on Boston radio (either people who work for the stations or a caller) to pronounce it the other way?

A week at most is my bet.
 

The_Powa_of_Seiji_Ozawa

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So assuming that this wasn't something the player requested, how common is it for a short, comparatively low money contract to have a deferral in it, especially for a player who isn't injured? I don't recall any instances. This seems especially frugal for management to resort to this. I wonder if this condition is something that the Sox have insisted on in their failed efforts with any of the players they "tried really hard" to sign?
 

Rich Garces Belly

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From everything I’ve read about him he seems like an amazing teammate and a fan favorite. With his above-average defense and some pop I’m very excited about this. Now it’s time to bring in a couple more pitchers.
 

grimshaw

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Career .263/.345/.474 vs lefties with a wRC+ of 120. Plug him in where he can best succeed and he's your bridge guy until Downs is ready. Arroyo can co-exist with him as a platoon guy. Not a hard guy to move either if Downs happens to be ready earlier.
 

Manuel Aristides

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Kiké is a good player, and the Sox need more RHH. His flexibility will help fill out the lineup each day no matter what the circumstance, and I suppose there's some non-zero chance that playing every day in the same position in a more hitter friendly park might rocket his OPS up to the 750-800 level he flashed in 2018. He'd be a tidy value if he could be close to 800.

That said, this offseason is perhaps the least exciting one in my memory. Even last year's pain was at least engaging. I suppose that's pretty much what I expected from the Bloom era in general, but given the absolute shit-kicking the team's image has taken over the last 15 months or so part of me was expecting a splash this offseason of some kind, even if it was a poorly conceived one.

So if I put my rosiest glasses on, I can sell myself that it's a good thing we haven't thrown a bankroll at somebody just to do it. Given how poorly that's gone for the team over the last decade, perhaps they've learned a lesson... and/or Bloom's cautious, win-on-the-margins style is being given a real chance to work even when the PR move might be to lean out of it. That's a good thing. The whole appeal of Bloom (as I saw it) was that he would find all this extra value in strategic roster construction, flex the bankroll on premium secondary players, and then eventually also write someone a giant check. No giant check this year... large scale it is a good thing... but at the same time, bleh, y'know? I'm not excited to race back to the park to see Hunter and Kiké. I don't envy the Red Sox marketing department having to sell us this mediocrity.

I just hope they don't do the frugal thing for 2-3 off-seasons, then get impatient, throw money at the Pablo/Hanley of the week and waste these excruciatingly boring seasons.
 

Max Power

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It shouldn't be surprising, but it seems like Bloom is building the lineup like the Rays. He's collecting a bunch of guys with positional flexibility with big platoon splits. If you can collect enough of those guys, the whole of the offense will be greater than the sum of its parts.

With some luck, the rotation could be good. I just don't see how the team competes with the bullpen as it is now. They need at least two impact arms out there and I don't know where they're coming from.
 

Philip Jeff Frye

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Kiké is a good player, and the Sox need more RHH. His flexibility will help fill out the lineup each day no matter what the circumstance, and I suppose there's some non-zero chance that playing every day in the same position in a more hitter friendly park might rocket his OPS up to the 750-800 level he flashed in 2018. He'd be a tidy value if he could be close to 800.

That said, this offseason is perhaps the least exciting one in my memory. Even last year's pain was at least engaging. I suppose that's pretty much what I expected from the Bloom era in general, but given the absolute shit-kicking the team's image has taken over the last 15 months or so part of me was expecting a splash this offseason of some kind, even if it was a poorly conceived one.

So if I put my rosiest glasses on, I can sell myself that it's a good thing we haven't thrown a bankroll at somebody just to do it. Given how poorly that's gone for the team over the last decade, perhaps they've learned a lesson... and/or Bloom's cautious, win-on-the-margins style is being given a real chance to work even when the PR move might be to lean out of it. That's a good thing. The whole appeal of Bloom (as I saw it) was that he would find all this extra value in strategic roster construction, flex the bankroll on premium secondary players, and then eventually also write someone a giant check. No giant check this year... large scale it is a good thing... but at the same time, bleh, y'know? I'm not excited to race back to the park to see Hunter and Kiké. I don't envy the Red Sox marketing department having to sell us this mediocrity.

I just hope they don't do the frugal thing for 2-3 off-seasons, then get impatient, throw money at the Pablo/Hanley of the week and waste these excruciatingly boring seasons.
The last decade that includes two World Series championships? Wow, tough crowd here!
 

Oppo

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Kiké is a good player, and the Sox need more RHH. His flexibility will help fill out the lineup each day no matter what the circumstance, and I suppose there's some non-zero chance that playing every day in the same position in a more hitter friendly park might rocket his OPS up to the 750-800 level he flashed in 2018. He'd be a tidy value if he could be close to 800.

That said, this offseason is perhaps the least exciting one in my memory. Even last year's pain was at least engaging. I suppose that's pretty much what I expected from the Bloom era in general, but given the absolute shit-kicking the team's image has taken over the last 15 months or so part of me was expecting a splash this offseason of some kind, even if it was a poorly conceived one.

So if I put my rosiest glasses on, I can sell myself that it's a good thing we haven't thrown a bankroll at somebody just to do it. Given how poorly that's gone for the team over the last decade, perhaps they've learned a lesson... and/or Bloom's cautious, win-on-the-margins style is being given a real chance to work even when the PR move might be to lean out of it. That's a good thing. The whole appeal of Bloom (as I saw it) was that he would find all this extra value in strategic roster construction, flex the bankroll on premium secondary players, and then eventually also write someone a giant check. No giant check this year... large scale it is a good thing... but at the same time, bleh, y'know? I'm not excited to race back to the park to see Hunter and Kiké. I don't envy the Red Sox marketing department having to sell us this mediocrity.

I just hope they don't do the frugal thing for 2-3 off-seasons, then get impatient, throw money at the Pablo/Hanley of the week and waste these excruciatingly boring seasons.
Pretty weak free agent class this year, why make a big splash just because? Especially for a team that’s more than 1-2 players from contending. Throwing a ton of money around this offseason seems like a Pablo/Hanley move.
 

Dewey'sCannon

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So assuming that this wasn't something the player requested, how common is it for a short, comparatively low money contract to have a deferral in it, especially for a player who isn't injured? I don't recall any instances. This seems especially frugal for management to resort to this. I wonder if this condition is something that the Sox have insisted on in their failed efforts with any of the players they "tried really hard" to sign?
It could just be a matter of the Bloom thinking he wasn't really worth a straight 2/14 (maybe 2/12, for example), so to resolve the difference they made the extra money deferred. The details on the deferrals should give us some insight into the gap they were trying to bridge.
 

moondog80

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Only Sale and Xander have commitments beyond 2022, and Xander is likely to opt out. The big spending spree is coming, just not quite yet.
 

joe dokes

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It shouldn't be surprising, but it seems like Bloom is building the lineup like the Rays. He's collecting a bunch of guys with positional flexibility with big platoon splits. If you can collect enough of those guys, the whole of the offense will be greater than the sum of its parts.

With some luck, the rotation could be good. I just don't see how the team competes with the bullpen as it is now. They need at least two impact arms out there and I don't know where they're coming from.
One thing that gives me some hope is confidence that Cora will be better willing and able to maximize the flexibility than Roenicke was. I suspect he sees it as a challenge (in a good way), rather than a burden.
Agreed on the bullpen. But we *never* really know where it's coming from. Workman was promising in 2013, disappeared, and then became a very effective reliever. (That he forgot how to pitch after the Sox traded him is not my problem!)
 
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nvalvo

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The last decade that includes two World Series championships? Wow, tough crowd here!
I think he's attributing the championships to the home-grown core, rather than Free Agent signings.

But it made me grab a bunch of Red Sox FA signings since the 2010 offseason (from ESPN) and put them in a spreadsheet. This is only counting signings of players who actually reached free agency, so extensions to David Ortiz or Dustin Pedroia or Chris Sale or Xander Bogaerts or Tim Wakefield are not included. And what I found?
  • Unsurprisingly, our worst signings are mostly the one's you'd think of: Carl Crawford (7/$142m for -0.7 WAR) and Pablo Sandoval (5/$95m for -1.6 WAR), followed by Hanley, A.J. Pierzynski, Ryan Dempster and Bobby Jenks.
  • Our best signings on a $/WAR basis were mostly Japanese relief pitchers: Hideki Okajima and Koji Uehara. Our record in non-Japanese RP free agency is terrible: One huge success in Andrew Miller and a bunch of washouts. Mitch Moreland and Cody Ross — mid-tier position players we gave bench money to but got starter production from — were probably our best signings.
  • We've signed a few starting pitcher Free Agents, and mostly washed out. But when it's worked, it's been because we've paid retail. David Price and Nate Eovaldi have been wildly expensive on a $/WAR basis, but they've actually produced the pitching that we needed. Ryan Dempster, less so.
  • The narrative is that Ben Cherington's moves in Free Agency in the 2012 offseason were flawless, and that is basically right. Dempster was a disaster (-0.2 WAR for $26m) but Uehara, Victorino, Napoli, Gomes, Ross, and Drew all worked out at least pretty well.
 

DeadlySplitter

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So assuming that this wasn't something the player requested, how common is it for a short, comparatively low money contract to have a deferral in it, especially for a player who isn't injured? I don't recall any instances. This seems especially frugal for management to resort to this. I wonder if this condition is something that the Sox have insisted on in their failed efforts with any of the players they "tried really hard" to sign?
my only guess is the pandemic really has affected things for John H. Or he thinks it has.
 

soxhop411

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Dec 4, 2009
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His nickname is pronounced "Kee-kuh"... not, uh.... the other way.
Wait...it's not Keekay?
I was under the impression it was Kee-kay as well.
What happens when the name you go by is a derogatory slur? That’s the funny story of Miami Marlins’ new utility youngster Enrique “Kiké” Hernandez, whose nickname is also a derogatory term for Jewish people.

Hernandez is born and raised from San Juan, Puerto Rico, so the nickname Kiké is actually pronounced KEE-Kay. It doesn’t come with an accent mark, but it got one during a minor league broadcast when Hernandez was playing in the short season Single-A New York-Penn League.

“Teams started using an accent to avoid controversy,” Hernandez said. “I don’t mind it. It’s in Spanish. If you don’t read it in Spanish, it can be offensive.”
https://dodgers.mlblogs.com/dude-smile-an-introduction-to-enrique-kiké-hernandez-95fe06c19763
 

PedroKsBambino

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Don't love this one, though I think the player is fine. If he's starting at second I'd have liked to have seen more offensive upside in the position; if he's a utility guy it's a pretty hefty price but he's a solid fit there. Profar, to me, is a much better offensive player looking forward...not sure what the thinking would have been around that but do wonder if he'll go for more?

I do think a really versatile guy who doesn't stink carries extra value given the large pitching staffs today, and especially so given covid threats in-season. So I don't have a lot of concerns here, and expect the role will probably be driven by what else they do and how people perform anyway.
 

amRadio

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Feb 7, 2019
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Yes, I love rooting for players to make more millions and win full time jobs. Rooting for the team? That's pretty 2004. Now we root for plucky no-hit infielders to make money.

When the time comes for Bloom to spend big - which I understand is not this offseason - we better not still be trying to put together a platoon based "sum-greater-than-the-parts" offense and trying to rehabilitate pitchers like Pivetta to round out the staff.

They could have done more with this offseason. The lack of attention to bullpen in particular is pretty unsettling. I feel like a team carrying Chavis and Peraza but also a Hendricks and a Brad Hand would be more competitive for 2021.