The Twins have expressed interest in free agent utilityman Kiké Hernández, reports SKOR North’s Darren Wolfson (Twitter link). The 29-year-old has spent the past six seasons with the Dodgers. Over the past two seasons, Hernández has managed just a .235/.296/.410 line over 608 plate appearances. However, the right-handed hitter has put up a strong .263/.345/.474 career mark against left-handed pitching. He’s also started games all throughout the infield and outfield. That defensive versatility and production when holding the platoon advantage makes Hernández a sensible fit for a Minnesota team that has seen Marwin González and Ehire Adrianza hit the open market.
More from around the sport:
- The Giants have been in contact with representatives of a few players who were non-tendered earlier this week, president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi told reporters (including Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area). Right-handed relief pitching and another left-handed hitter are on the team’s wish list, Pavlovic notes. Plenty of players fitting those respective profiles were non-tendered before Wednesday’s deadline. Speculatively speaking, Archie Bradley and Matt Wisler could make sense as bullpen targets for San Francisco, while Kyle Schwarber and David Dahl were among the top left-handed bats let go by other clubs.
- Nationals infielder Josh Harrison nearly signed with the Braves after being released by the Phillies in July, relays Mark Zuckerman of MASNsports.com. Ultimately, the veteran infielder hooked on with Washington just a few days after the regular season began. While the Braves had a significantly more successful 2020 than did their division rivals, Harrison enjoyed a decent season at the plate. Clearly, both player and team were satisfied with the way things worked out. Harrison went on to ink a one-year extension that will keep him in D.C. in 2021.
I think Kike Hernandez would be a great piece for the Twins. He could definitely come off the bench and score some runs for the Twins. He could also play multiple positions. At the same time, it would only take a year and maybe 2 to 2.5 million to sign him. Archie Bradley might be out of the price range for the Giants, but I think Ryan Tepera, Chasen Shreve, or A.J Cole might be good options for players who were recently non-tendered. Wisler however does make sense. I think the Braves should have signed Harrison and let Culberson go personally.
He would be a great addition.
who Archie Bradley to the Giants or kike to the twins?
He would be great in Toronto.
I would love that addition. Affordable and a great fit.
@reds, what makes you say that Bradley is “out of the price range for the Giants?” The Giants are sitting on a pile of $ and could afford Archie if they wanted him (not that the competition and potential for a bidding war means they would necessarily get him). Just curious about your comment? I’d be stoked if the Giants signed him!
I was incorrect in saying he was out of their price range. It just doesn’t seem like someone they would pursue. I agree they probably do have the money to get him! I could see them going for someone like Doolittle, Petit, or Robles. I just don’t see them going for someone like Bradley. Not saying they can’t get him which I think they could, just not someone I think they would have their focus on.
Being that Bradley is from the nl west, I agree. The nl west hitters have faced him to much for him to be as dominant imo
@reds Bradley is a righthander. The Giants are looking for righthanders. Petit might not want to comeback to SF. Doolittle is a leftie, who has struggled the past couple of seasons. Robles seems the best of the bunch. He has the potential to bounce back after a short season.
Teams have have scouts. Familiarity is not an issue. They work out how they are going to pitch to a hitter before the game.
I never understood the Giants letting go of Petit in the first place. He owns the MLB record with 46 consecutive retire batters. Nor is that ancient history’s he keeps getting outs.
@Reds, Got it. Thx. I hope you’re wrong. It would nice for the Giants to have a reliable closer (elite level) like Bradley,
Hendriks or Brad Hand again. It’s been a bunch of years since we could reliably hold a tight game going into the ninth. Obviously, the Giants tried with Melancon, who was good before and good after his time with SF. Just not while there!
@geg42 I agree with you. I never understood why they let him go. There is probably more of a history that we don’t we don’t know about. The A’s and Padres let him go also.
I also see Keone Kela, Alex Claudio, John Brebbia, Jeremy Jeffress, and Joe Biagini as possible targets also. They are cheap and affordable. I see the Giants pursuing more starting pitching than bullpen arms. Pretty sure they have been linked to Jake Odorizzi, Chase Anderson, and Martin Perez this offseason. I’d also say sign or trade for a catcher, move Posey to first and trade Belt. They could also use Solano as a trade piece. If that’s the case then they could look for a second baseman. Would be nice if they could unload Cueto, Crawford, and Longoria’s contracts but that seems unlikely. If they could they might look to add pitching there. This is my opinion but it could go either way. I could see them signing Jason Castro to play catcher and maybe Jurickson Profar to play second base in that situation.
Maybe they even look at Ken Giles who has shown in the past he has elite stuff. Would be a good bounce-back candidate.
Giles underwent Tommy John surgery in September. It’s possible he signs a multi-year deal with an eye toward returning in 2022, but it’s hard to imagine him being an option for teams next season given the timetable of the procedure.
Yeah, I’m not sure many teams would give him that kind of deal yet. At the same time wasn’t Tommy Kahnle going to be out next year and still receiving multi-year offers from teams? I was thinking maybe that scenario would work out here with Giles also.
Ken Giles is exactly the kind player the Twins lien to sign, good track record but recent injury makes him affordable
Posey gets regular games at 1st. He also hates playing 1st. I think they are going to resign Chadwick Tromp, or find a Vet to backup Posey. This is also a bridge to Bart taking over the position. There is joke in there that only Bay Area people will get, unintentional. Crawford and Longoria are still serviceable players. They are not drains on the Giants budget. There really is no reason to get rid of them.
If they do keep Posey at catcher they could re sign Tromp, or they could sign Kurt Suzuki, Tony Wolters or Alex Avila. They would be good backups. Or someone like Drew Butera. Butera would cost hardly anything to have as a back up catcher.
@redsfan I’ll have to look him up…I have this little joke that a former Giants GM is responsible for the Big Red Machine. HB Spec Richardson traded half those players from the Astros to the Reds. He wasn’t any better as the Giants GM.
I definitely think what Zaidi has done in San Francisco has helped their organization. I don’t think they will be major spenders. I don’t see them on guys like Bauer or Springer or Realmuto obviously. But I do see them getting better and improving whether it be in trades or free agency. I see them signing second or third tier free agents.
I wouldn’t mind Suzuki in Giants uniform. He seems like the kind of player you would want in a backup catcher role. He has credible bat; he has also handled winning pitching staffs.
I’m loving what Zaidi has done. I think they take a longer look at players. I think they are more focused on the fundamentals. They have 4 hitting coaches. Sabean, and Bochy, were much more focused on pitching and defense.
Do you think Kapler was the right decision for manager? Or do you think they should have chose someone else.
When does Joey Bart Train become his official nickname?
There is no reason to trade for a catcher since they have Bart who had time out of necessity last year and are supposed to be signing tromp back to a minors deal, as well behind them is Bailey. You should have the time split amongst Bart and posey to mentor him as he is really the next guy up. They would do better to move belt at the deadline – they aren’t going to get anyone to take on Longoria or cueto so you have to assume that they are what they are and work around it. With Anderson gone they need to add a starter but it looks like they have in mind not to clog the pipeline and to let some of the younger guys play so i would think beyond 1 frontline guy any other rotation arms will be minor league reclamation projects for depth and trade bait.I would assume that they are more willing to go in on a bat like Dahl and a guy like Bradley since they are looking at veteran presence to school the young guys that struggled last year in the pen. Solano could be a flip at the deadline guy but you probably want to see how he starts rather than mov him since you won’t get a lot unless he is a throw in on a salary dump and he leaves a hole in your infield that needs depth in the first place.
Wrong. Oakland has a bridge to Bart. SF you gotta take MUNI 🙂
@wolf, I agree. Buster will mentor Joey B for a year (maybe Buster will get a sunset extension buying out his ‘22 option, if his bat is serviceable this year-which would give him more time to mentor Bart/ Bailey). We can’t move Cueto’s or Longo’s contracts , and they’re going to let Crawford finish out his contract at short. To me, the only vet that is moveable is Belt, IF, he’s healthy and crushing it leading up to the trade deadline. They won’t get much back for a then-33 year- old rental with his streaky hitting and injury prone history. Other than pitching, which we drastically need both in the rotation and the Pen,
our infield is pretty established for 2021, I do believe.
Nah. I don’t think Kapler was a bad decision. Baseball is not like the other sports. In basketball, you can step off a High School court to an NBA stadium and be a Hall of Famer. The last mlb player to step of High School diamond and become a Hall of Famer was Sandy Koufax. When Michael Jordan attempted to play baseball, his AA numbers would not have earned him a place in AAA.
The thing about the infield though is 2 issues, depth and defense. I assume they will be looking for a platoon mate for longo and preferably one who is a better defender at 2nd than solano and Flores that can move around.if they can get 2 guys that either improve the bat and/or have a better defensive value I don’t think that they are opposed to sitting guys they can’t mo e if they aren’t contributing, ie crawford and longo
Huh? You don’t need to go over a bridge to get to BART in Oakland. BART does go to SF. But, sometimes, the is a BART bridge to SF.
Howie:
Suzuki has a credible bat, but is not a good catcher. I think the Giants want someone better behind the dish.
redsfan:
I don’t think moving one of the best defensive catchers in baseball to 1B is a very good idea at all. Over his career, in addition to being a top performer with everything catchers need to do, he’s also been a good hitting catcher. As a hitter at 1B he is a mediocre at best. If they want to trade Belt, keeping Posey at catcher and playing someone like Ruf at 1B would be better,
Guys who can play 1B are a lot easier to find than a really good catcher. Posey needs to catch as long as he’s physically able to do so.
Here’s my thoughts on what should happen. You know I’m such a baseball genius. But, no need to always thank me for my brilliant insights.
Assuming there is 162 game season, give Belt like 20 starts in LF. Not his best position, but I don’t think it will be a disaster. They’ll keep him out against lefties. That’s why he had his best offensive numbers last season. That’ll give Posey more at bats and less physical stress from being behind the dish. I think they will resign Tromp. Bart will start in Sacramento for at least half the season. It will give him time to learn to adjust to better pitching.
Howie:
Not bad thoughts. I think every catcher not named Yadi Molina needs to not play a ton of games at the position. 20 games in LF for Belt would not be a problem either.
The one thing I’m not sure about is Bart in Sacramento for only half a season. He clearly was not ready when they brought him up. He only has 22 games in AA and hasn’t played a single game in AAA.
Catchers need more time in the minors than other positions. I think he needs a full season at AAA at least, with maybe a September call-up. But it wouldn’t surprise me if he started 2022 with the River Cats as well.
Thanks. I’m not sure how long Bart needs in AAA. But, his bat struggled in AA, and he tore up AZFL, which probably has pitching.
As a Dodgers fan, I do not understand why they are not re-signing him. The only thing I can think of is that he may be asking for too much money. He has earned it as a great utility guy. Pay him and keep that depth. It wouldn’t surprise me if this just boils down to a bad agent. Hernandez should embrace his role as an awesome utility guy…but he may be thinking starter.
I feel at this moment the Dodgers should try to re sign Justin Turner. However I don’t feel it is likely. They might look at Bryant or Arenado. Bryant seems likely as their is roadblocks in a Arenado trade. I think the opt out is the biggest roadblock. Do you think they should make an attempt to resign Pedro Baez? I don’t personally see it. However I think Corey Knebel was a good addition.
As a Dodgers fan, I have wanted to see them get rid of Baez for years. So, no, I do not want to see them re-sign Baez. I do think it is likely they re-sign Turner. He means a lot to the team and I think he wants to remain in L.A. just speculation, of course.. I am concerned that Hernandez may leave, though, simply because he has proven his worth and may look to get more money elsewhere. In my opinion, Arenado and Bryant are not likely options.
I love Kike. He is more valuable than his numbers would suggest. But it is matter of what price. I would go no more than 2/10.
Would love to see the Giants grab Dahl. Giants also don’t have a closer and haven’t for some time. Bradley could be that guy if the price was fair.
Will Smith has something to say
Oops, I said above that the Giants hasn’t had a solid closer in years. A major senior moment on my part! I forgot about Smith! Duuuhoooooppp!
You can be forgiven for overlooking Smith. He sort of slowly earned his way into that role, kind of like Romo did after Brian Wilson got injured.
Smith was definitely a closer for SF, but they haven’t had him for over a year now, which was what I meant. No one emerged last year as a closer, and the team could use one.
It’s understandable when management just lets those guys go…
What’s wrong with Gott?
Sorry, I Gott you there. Cant believe they resigned him. Take away just half of his blown saves and they get in the playoffs as a WC. It would’ve probably ended there, but still…
I agree. I was not happy that they tendered Gott a contract. They should’ve moved on.
I really hope the giants get Dahl/Bradley they both would really help the team
I agree abt bradley, although not sure about dahl. not a bad player, but not exactly what I would like to see. I think the Giants hitting coaches are pretty good at their jobs, but I don’t know if they see a potential all-star quality hitter in him. I wouldn’t mind picking him up though
If the Giants are considering Dahl they need to have someone in the organization who can help him figure out how to stay healthy. They guy is a world beater when he’s on the field, but availability for him has been very limited. That’s exactly why COL threw in the towel on him.
Kike would be a good fit for the Twins. Lots of versatility and some pop, definite upgrade over Adrianza
Kike would be a great fit almost everywhere..Every contending team could use him, he’s going to be a solid addition for whiever ends up getting him..
Hope Kiki and the Twins work something out. He knows how to win.
Not how to be a consistent hitter though
Kiki is very good in the clutch and pressure situations. I think he will end up with the Dodgers, again.
Unfortunately i think some of that comes from playing so many positions. Hard to be consistent offensively playing a different defensive position everyday
He’s actually been given ample time to prove he could be an everyday starter each of the last two-three years at 2nd. When he failed to do so he was shuttled around. Kikè is a terrific super utility guy, but he hasn’t shown an ability to hit RHP. He just hasn’t shown to be an everyday guy. Defensively up the middle, he’s absolutely tremendous.
Twinkies are seeking the KIKE to beating the Yankees !!
I would be pretty excited if the Giants got Dahl and Bradley or even Robles. I wouldn’t even mind a little Schwarber hittin bombs into the cove and a good GM with this much disposable income should be able to negotiate short term deals attractive enough to bring all of these guys over. Schwarber already has the connection to our current “GM” so wouldnt be that crazy.
The DH is coming so Schwarber starts there for 2/3’s of your games. Dahl with his health issues should be used sparingly as well but I would give him a 3-4 year deal if the price was right. Any closer caliber RP that makes sense should be snatched.
Don’t be too quick to praise FZ just yet. All he has proven is that he can sit on his hands and sift through trash. This team needs a few bold moves as well if they are going to compete so wait until the offseason is done before bowing the knee to FZ
giant4life:
I would love to see Dahl and Bradley in a Giant’s uni. Not too keen on Schwarber though. The Giants have enough less than great defenders now. And good defenders/more complete ball players, had been the type of guy that they liked. With Dickerson, who’s not a good defender in LF, and who’s also a lefty, Schwarber isn’t really a good fit.
I disagree most though on your take on Zaidi. Because he hasn’t made a big splash doesn’t mean he hasn’t tried. They were seriously in on Harper. But sometimes you can do everything possible, and the player just decides to sign elsewhere. I think Zaidi’s done exactly what he needs to do for the situation the team is in. He has taken a team that some predicted to be historically bad and made them relevant. They’re moving in the right direction, and making the moves they can. I’ll take Zaidi and his measured moves over Preller and his bold moves any day.
If the Twins can’t re-sign Marwin or Adrianza, I’d rather see them move Arreaz or Polanco to the super-utility role and see if Nick Gordon or Royce Lewis can handle the bigs. Pitching is where the Twins will need to spend their money this offseason.
I hope Kike resigns with the Dodgers. He has a great glove. He can play everywhere on the field that’s a plus.