In addition to signing with the Los Angeles Dodgers, utilityman Kiké Hernández revealed on Foul Territory that he had given serious thought to a contract with the New York Yankees.
Hernandez, who turns 32 this season, has been a player for the Houston Astros, Miami Marlins, Los Angeles Dodgers, Boston Red Sox, and Houston Astros. His time with the Dodgers in blue is the most notable of them all because he won a World Series there in 2020. Despite the bat not being there for the last two seasons, he has brought a tremendous lot of value with his glove and movement.
The Boston Red Sox dealt him to the Dodgers ahead of the last trade deadline, and they immediately signed him after sending Manuel Margot to the Minnesota Twins. It demonstrates an interesting perspective on the Yankees.
Kiké Hernández is a skilled and adaptable infield player who has played every position in Major League Baseball save catcher, despite having little hitting talent. In the end, the right-handed hitting infielder chose to rejoin the Dodgers, which would have provided the Yankees with additional reserve and lineup security. It appeared obvious that he would return to Los Angeles after the 2018 season, having spent the most of his career and experienced some of his best seasons there.
We have heard for weeks that the Yankees are interested in adding an experienced infielder to their depth, but this surprising revelation is not related to their claimed lack of interest in Hernandez. The Detroit Tigers signed Gio Urshela to a one-year contract worth $1.5 million, but the Yankees were still interested in signing him back. They also showed interest in Tony Kemp, but in the end, he decided to sign a Minor League contract with the Cincinnati Reds. It will be interesting to see if they choose to replace Oswald Peraza as their utilityman or continue with him.