Dodgers Rumors: Red Sox seem poised to swipe Kiké Hernández

The Dodgers might have to let Kiké Hernández walk to the…ugh…Red Sox.

The Los Angeles Dodgers are finally being confronted with the results of some years of excess spending during the 2020-21 offseason.

But it was all worth it — they’re World Series champions, as you’ll likely recall.

In much the same way a forward-thinking organization is sometimes subject to a front office brain drain after establishing a pattern of success, the Dodgers are finally experiencing that championship retribution of losing utility men and “glue” pieces who now demand a premium, thanks to their role on a title-winning club.

While the aging Justin Turner’s future is very much up in the air, one key Dodger does seem as good as gone in Swiss Army Knife Kiké Hernández, whom the team can’t really afford to drop a multi-year deal for at this point.

And don’t look now, but Alex Cora and the Boston Red Sox — in need of an injection of clubhouse joy — are gaining on him.

Hernández, as a culture fit and platoon second baseman for the Sox, makes all the sense in the world under Cora only if the team is willing to pay a premium for the sort of luxury piece that only contenders generally go for.

After all, the affable utility man is only going to sign somewhere where he’ll either be guaranteed increased playing time or a large sum of money. Are the Sox ready to commit to him as a starting second baseman? With Hunter Renfroe already in place, he wouldn’t be a great lefty-mashing fourth outfielder, either.

In terms of a locker room presence, Hernández would be excellent in Boston. But for a Sox team that may be a few years away, they might want to skew younger instead of giving him too many ABs.

Hernández, as he’s wont to do, came up large again in the playoffs last year, hitting two huge homers in the NLCS against Atlanta after a somewhat lackluster 2020 campaign.

Hopefully, he’ll have the chance to star in October again this year, wherever he lands.

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