Free-agent super-utility man Kiké Hernández is choosing between four teams, according to sources briefed on his discussions. The finalists, in no particular order, are the Los Angeles Angels, Minnesota Twins, San Diego Padres and San Francisco Giants.
Hernández, 32, is coming off a rocky season in which he struggled with the Boston Red Sox before getting traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers in late July and performing better. His combined slash line for the season, however, was only .237/.289/.357.
On Oct. 24, Hernández underwent double-hernia surgery. His condition helped explain why he wasn’t the same offensively and defensively last season. He was expected to resume baseball activities in late November and be fully ready by spring training.
Here are brief summaries from members of The Athletic staff on how Hernández would fit with each of the four finalists.
Giants
This fit is more about the bat than the glove for the Giants and Hernández, probably. The Giants were 24th-best against lefties last year (about six percent worse than league average). For his career, Hernandez has been 15 percent better than league average in those situations. He represents a right-handed stick with power and patience against left-handed pitchers, at the very least..
The glove does matter, though. Last year was a tough year for Hernández defensively by any metric. But he’s demonstrated a career’s worth of ability at second, shortstop, and center field – with 1000+ innings at each of those positions – and can play any of those in a pinch. For the Giants, the most natural platoon partners are probably Michael Conforto and Mike Yastrzemski in the corner outfield, but history tells us we’ll see Hernández all over the diamond. — Eno Sarris
Padres
The Padres could really use a lefty hitter with power, but they aren’t exactly in a position to be picky, and Hernández would fill another glaring need. At the moment, Fernando Tatis Jr. is San Diego’s only proven starting-caliber outfielder. Jackson Merrill has a good chance of making the team primarily as an outfielder, but he’s a 20-year-old prospect who has spent most of his life playing shortstop. Jurickson Profar’s return finally is official, but the Padres would prefer to use the veteran as more of a bench bat.
Like Profar, Hernández is an early-30s player coming off a poor offensive season. However, the Padres would more confidently project him as a big-league regular, and he can still play center field, where the team’s other options include José Azocar, Jakob Marsee and Merrill, who is learning multiple outfield spots as he tries to break into the majors.
Perhaps just as important: Hernández, at this stage in his career, wouldn’t command a ton of money. The Padres aren’t far from a luxury-tax threshold they would like to avoid crossing, and they need multiple offensive additions and more pitching depth. — Dennis Lin
Angels
The Angels have potentially lost two infielders to injury in the last 24 hours. Luis Rengifo went down with hamstring tightness and Michael Stefanic has a groin strain. Middle infield was already a weakness for the Angels. Now it’s potentially a budding crisis.
Signing Hernández would stabilize the situation and give the Angels a true utility player all over the diamond. His offensive regression last year is concerning, but right now the Angels just need reliable players. He could also serve as insurance for an injury prone Anthony Rendon at third.
The match makes too much sense for the Angels. He’s also a fan favorite among Dodgers fans, which means Angels owner Arte Moreno might be more willing to outbid his competition. — Sam Blum
Twins
Hernández would provide the Twins with a right-handed hitting outfielder on a roster full of lefty outfield bats. Beyond Byron Buxton, the Twins have no true right-handed hitting outfielders on the 40-man roster.
Similar to veteran first baseman Carlos Santana, who was signed earlier this month, Hernández would help the Twins against left-handed pitchers, which has been an area of concern the previous few seasons. Last year, the Twins produced a .762 OPS versus righties and only .726 against lefties. Though he struggled against southpaws in 2023, Hernández has a career .801 OPS when batting right-handed, including successful seasons in 2021 and 2022.
Hernández also would provide the Twins with the valuable defensive flexibility they crave, playing center field, second base and shortstop. He and Willi Castro would give the Twins plenty of insurance if Buxton requires a stint on the injured list.
Beyond that, Hernández has been a utility player his entire career, which would likely make him more amenable to manager Rocco Baldelli’s platoon-heavy strategy. — Dan Hayes
(Top photo of Kiké Hernández: Elsa/Getty Images)
