Enrique Hernandez is back with the Dodgers. Los Angeles announced they’ve acquired the utilityman (along with cash considerations) from the Red Sox for relievers Nick Robertson and Justin Hagenman. Boston is reportedly paying down $2.5MM of the approximate $3.6MM remaining on Hernandez’s contract.
Hernandez, 31, is struggling through one of the worst seasons of his career, batting just .222/.279/.320 in 323 plate appearances. The offseason injury of Trevor Story — which required elbow surgery — prompted the Sox to move Hernandez from center field to shortstop. The results weren’t pretty, with Hernandez returning to a position he’d barely played since 2018 and posting some of the lowest defensive grades of any player at any position (-6 Defensive Runs Saved, -13 Outs Above Average in just 484 innings).
The extent to which the defensive struggles also impacted Hernandez’s mindset at the plate can’t be known, but his production hasn’t dipped to this level since the 2016 season. He’s hitting .260 against left-handed pitching — albeit with a lowly .314 OBP and .338 slugging percentage — but has been a nonfactor against right-handed pitching (.209/.266/.314).
Struggles on both sides of the ball notwithstanding, Hernandez is a career .259/.346/.465 hitter against southpaws. The Dodgers will hope that a return to the team he called home for the majority of his career can bring about a turnaround at the plate and/or on the field. Los Angeles has hit well against lefties as a team, but that’s generally been in spite of poor production from a cast of outfielders that has looked lost against southpaws.
All of David Peralta, Trayce Thompson and Jason Heyward have struggled in that regard. James Outman is getting on base at a .366 pace against lefties but not hitting for power and striking out at a 34% clip. Chris Taylor has gotten on base at a lowly .268 rate but at least hits lefties for power.
There’s no guarantee that Hernandez will improve the team’s overall production against southpaws, but he’s a low-cost roll of the dice as a bench player who’s had success in just this type of limited role before — with this very team, no less. Given that the Dodgers have been cycling through journeyman like Yonny Hernandez and Jake Marisnick on the bench, there’s some sense to seeking lower-cost stability. Hernandez figures to be a boon in the clubhouse at the very least, and any big early hits following the swap will clearly be well-received by a fanbase with which he was popular during his last tenure. There’s minimal risk in displacing Hernandez, though the Dodger faithful will surely be hoping this trade is merely a footnote among a larger slate of deadline transactions rather than a focal point of the front office’s approach to upgrading the roster.
For the Red Sox, with Story nearing a return, they’ll subtract Hernandez from their glut of middle-infield and outfield options. Jarren Duran’s emergence in center field put a serious dent in Hernandez’s role with the team — particularly with Masataka Yoshida and Alex Verdugo locked into the corners. Yu Chang is a more versatile infield defender, meanwhile, and the Sox apparently prefer to continue giving the more controllable Christian Arroyo opportunities over Hernandez — a pending free agent playing on a one-year, $10MM contract extension he signed last winter.
Per Roster Resource, the Dodgers had a $228MM payroll and $245MM luxury-tax bill prior to the trade. Tacking on roughly $1.1MM won’t put them anywhere near the third tier of luxury-tax penalization, which begins at $273MM and is the point at which teams see their top pick in the following year’s draft pushed back by 10 spots. As a third-time luxury tax offender in the midst of the first penalty bracket, the Dodgers would pay a 50% dollar-for-dollar tax on all overages. As such, Hernandez’s remaining $1.1MM actually amounts to about $1.65MM in terms of total expenditure.
In return for picking up the bulk of the tab, Boston lands a couple pitchers who add desired right-handed middle relief depth. Robertson, 25, is on the 40-man roster and has made nine big league appearances for Los Angeles this season. The rookie righty has allowed 10 runs (seven earned) over his first 10 1/3 frames. He’s fanned 13 against four walks, though, missing bats at a decent 11.4% clip. Robertson is a fastball-changeup pitcher who has averaged a little under 95 MPH on his heater in his brief MLB look.
He’s having an excellent year in Triple-A. Over 28 1/3 innings with the Dodgers’ top affiliate in Oklahoma City, the 6’6″ hurler owns a 2.54 ERA. Robertson has punched out an excellent 37.5% of batters faced at the top minor league level, where he’s also inducing grounders on half the batted balls he allows. The former seventh-round pick owns a 3.54 ERA with a 30% strikeout rate over parts of four minor league campaigns. He’ll start his Boston tenure on optional assignment to Triple-A Worcester but could be recalled to work out of the big league bullpen at any point.
Hagenman has never played in the majors. Like Robertson, he’s having a strong year in Triple-A. Through 55 innings spread over 25 appearances, the 26-year-old righty has a 2.78 ERA. He’s punching hitters out at a solid 27% clip while keeping his walks to a tidy 5% rate. The Penn State product went unselected in last year’s Rule 5 draft after posting a 6.08 ERA in Triple-A; he’d be eligible for the Rule 5 again next winter but has a good chance to earn a spot on the Sox’s 40-man roster before then after his much better second season at the top minor league level.
David Vassegh of SportsNet Los Angeles noted this afternoon the Sox and Dodgers were discussing Hernandez trades. Ken Rosenthal and Fabian Ardaya of the Athletic first reported the Dodgers were acquiring Hernandez. Alex Speier of the Boston Globe reported the Red Sox would receive two upper minors relief pitchers. Chris Cotillo of MassLive first suggested Robertson and Hagenman were potentially involved in the deal. Tom Caron of NESN confirmed Hagenman’s inclusion, while Jeff Passan of ESPN first confirmed the package was Robertson and Hagenman. Speier was first to report the cash considerations.
Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.
Yuck
Is Kiki next to Los Angeles?
Yes. It’s done.
Alex Cora was seen crying. Sad.
I can’t believe the Dodgers gave up some actual legit relief arms. Robertson is whiffing like 37% of guys in AAA.
Giving up 17 hits over 10 innings might be a bit of their issue with him.
Yeah, astute talent evaluators always make decisions over a 10-inning period.
25 and 27 year-old relief pitchers that never pitched in the major leagues.
About right for an overpaid utility guy that the Dodgers will have for 2 months.
Not saying one won’t surface, but it’s low risk on both teams parts.
@Smacky if we are going to make big points within small sample sizes, then let’s also realize he had a 3.19 FIP in those 10.1 innings at the MLB level.
People are trying to find negatives at this point. We gave up a bench player for two pitchers who could play a prominent role down the stretch. If not, we gain by subtraction.
Yeah they really gave some real arms. Even if the Dodgers have the answer to improve Kiki who else was in on him? Boston should have been happy to dump his salary or even if eating it one of these arms should have git it done.
Kiki was bad in LAD the first time and he’s nearing retirement so improvement isn’t likely. Hoping for lightning in a bottle like in 2021 is the LA GM rolling the dice on a long shot.
Imagine just sharing this reply like you had something.
Both of those guys had sub 3 ERA’s in a PCL league that has a 5.78 ERA
I heard MLB is a bit harder than the PCL. Turns out MLB hitters don’t swing at stuff out side the zone. Minor leaguers swing at everything and are good at getting themselves out.
You clearly have never watched the White Sox play baseball. They are technically still a Major League Team
I heard that the PCL is an extreme hitter’s league and when you put up a 200 ERA+ that you are pretty damned good.
Yet the batting averages in the PCL are much higher than in the majors, and these two had no problem getting hitters out in a more offensive league. Maybe it was just nerves, and a small sample size?.
Kike Hernandez is also good at getting himself out.
They got two young controllable arms who are pitching well at AAA for a guy they didn’t want or need and who was gone at the end of the year regardless.
Do they face major league pitching there? If they don’t it doesn’t mean a damn anything. The Dodgers, who are good at evaluating pitching gave up what they gave up for an infield platoon player. The dude ain’t Pedro Martinez.
No, but I’ve seen more Mets games this year than I care to remember.
42% of the batters there have spent time in the majors. So, the answer to your ludicrous question, is yes, they do, and they do it in an environment that is conducive to HITTING.
I don’t get what your point even is. You’re saying the Red Sox just ripped off the Dodgers in one of the most lopsided trades in history because those guys weren’t terrible in the minor leagues? Boston must be on the phone with Cooper’s Town as we speak.
Well, it’s true you don’t get what the point is. No one has said anything even remotely like that.
The point is, the Red Sox were going to DFA Hernandez and instead they got some decent minor league arms and salary relief.
Still confused?
I’ve seen more Mets games this year than I care to remember.
=======================
With all due respect, even if you saw only one game, that might be more than you care to remember.
Your reading comprehension needs some work. The other dude is going on about how great the pitchers the Dodgers gave up on are future Hall Of Famers b/c they were better than average in minors.
I entirely agree with what you’re saying in your 2nd paragraph.
You are kinda dense aren’t you? He was saying if everyone else in their league has a 5 ERA and they have a 2.5 ERA, they are good. Doesn’t matter WHO they are pitching against,,they are twice as good as the rest of the league at pitching to those same people.
You are the one prattling on about how they are not HOFers they are pitching against while the point of the discussion goes right over your head..
Dodgers To Acquire Enrique Hernandez. It’s like acquiring HIV plus they gave up talent on top of it?? Bad move!
Maybe because he has a 6.10 ERA and he won’t be of any help to the team in the near future. He’s essentially useless to the team so LAD traded for Kiki a proven playoff performer.
Look, a man from the past.
10 IP in his first call up is what you are basing your comment on? Seriously?
Yeah, I thought they would just get cash
Dodgers are so deep it’s not even registering
I’m OK with this trade.
His value was low. He outlived his usefulness in Boston as going forward he wouldn’t really have a role, theres younger guys who can give the same depth and deserve mlb at bats.
LA was willing to step up and pay something for him, and, the upper minors need some new arms in boston.
From the LA side, Robertson was the sort of guy who would be a DFA and waivers candidate to open 40 man space, and, both guys are rule 5 liabilities this winter as well. With the cash included, it doesn’t impact payroll and CBT so its the best of both worlds.
There is no possible way the Dodger’s would DFA Robertson. Best K rate in their system, Small walk rate. Youngest pitcher on their AAA team and only one pitcher had been better. No chance.
There was a very real chance Boston would DFA Hernandez.
A team would need to count on Boston DFAing Kiké (or any player for that matter) before 8/31 for him to be eligible to be on the post season roster.
So if they got rid of him 8/30, then the team who picked him up would have to gamble on whether or not he would be a good and productive fit for the 40-man. The team who got him would then have to get rid of someone on their current 40-man to make room for him, even though he’s played a small amount or no games for them. Trading for a player before the deadline at least creates an audition process.
Not sure if this is a good thing to kick-off the Dodgers trade season but hey, why not,.
He’s making $10 million this year so heck of a job by the Red Sox.
Sox saved $1 mil and got 2 minor league pitchers. The Sox sent some cash. I don’t get the issue some have with with this, but I guess people are miserable and must complain about everything.
Kike as a full-time player often gets exposed; Kike as a part time, fill in player should help the Dodgers. Any port in a storm.
Yeah he isn’t exactly a move-the-needle kind of guy but he is the kind of guy that lives on the edges of a potential World Series roster. Put him in the right situations and he will thrive as long as you don’t have to rely solely on him
Likeable player but I’ve always thought he was a bit overrated. Clearly a bench player and I’m not sure if even a good bench player. He was valuable when he made nothing and provided some defensive versatility and some timely hits. Have to think that the Red Sox are paying for most of remaining salary.
Your antisemitism is striking and on full display.
?? Whose anti-semitism?
I mean you do realize the Kike is a nickname in Hispanic/Latin culture for Enrique? Sorry, do not have the Spanish keyboard so I can not put the accent mark.
You don’t need a special keyboard or download. Just hold down the “e” key and the options for accents will pop-up.
Not on every keyboard…. mine just repeats “e”
You know, I never knew that.
Kike is done
Dodgers could’ve possibly fleeced the Sox of Kike can get hot.
“Fleeced” really?
What are the Red Sox getting robbed of?
If Kike can put up good numbers, just saying.
Fleeced means robbed. Red Sox are a better team without him. Im trying to understand what you think they’d lose even if he does play better for LA.
Oh the comments here are so bad it hurts.
First, they almost certainly weren’t fleeced
Second, it’s possible they could have been fleeced if they could have gotten much more for him than what they got.
Third, the Red Sox are almost certainly not a better team without him.
“if they could have gotten much more for him”
If you think that youre an idiot, if you dont think that then youre just muddying the waters.
“Red Sox are almost certainly not a better team without him”
They have a stat for that, its called WAR, and Kike is -0.7, which means a replacement player is better. And considering there are guys in the minors who are certainly having a better season than him, its a “certainty” the Red Sox are a better team, especially when you add in two righty relievers with long-term control.
——–
Your comments are so basic, like 5th grade baseball level.
“Everyone knows Kikē has struggled this year.”
Really? Wow, what insight. How’d you figure that one out?
The Sox are most definitely better without Kike. Both Reyes and Chang at least have a positive WAR. Kike has been so bad on defense and offense that at this point he is a below replacement level player. -0.7 WAR.
This is as much of a no doubter as possible.
Just because Kiki may have rebound value as a player, doesn’t mean the red sox are better off if they kept him.
If Kiki is worse overall with the bat and defending than the guy who takes his place, then the team is indeed better without him starting.
If Kiki is worse as a depth replacement than whatever guy can take his place as a pickup from the minors or the bench, the team is better without him.
One common issue on the red sox roster this year is a large number of guys all trying to play the same position with a similar ability level. Every position Kiki can play competently has this issue.
That is why the sox are better without him. He didn’t produce well in his opportunities, and, other players are better as both starting and depth options than he is.
RSmith – Kiki struggled his entire career which is why he’s been a utility player for a decade hitting in the lower .200s. He is well connected in the baseball community which drives the unearned adoration of some fans, media and players. Boston did well to get two potential players for a AAA player who had ONE hot streak in 2021 for Boston. In 313 games he had a .234 batting average. Most guys don’t get to play with those stats and shouldn’t. It’s LAD’s problem now.
If Kiki is worse as a depth replacement than whatever guy can take his place as a pickup from the minors or the bench,
===============================
A fine analysis.
Had we traded Duvall, I’d have kept KH as the #4/5 OF and UIF. But right now, he is only our #6 OF, and at best, interchangeable with Arroyo, Chang, Reyes, and eventually Story (and he is likely to be worse). He’d have to rebound to 2021 levels in order to be anything but a spare part.
Bobby miller going to Sox?
I know you aren’t actually joking but how long before you try and save face by saying it was a joke?
Lol
Now I completely understand your hatred for the Baseball Trade Values site. Lol!
Why? Because he saw there’s a miller on the dodgers site with -0.6 trade value he mistakenly thought was Bobby Miller lmao.
Welcome back to Los Karens.
You must be a Padres fan because clearly you have daddy issues…
Great deal for both sides. I’ve been calling for this deal for over a month now! While we loved Kiké in Boston, he just stunk it up this year but he has the talent to turn it back on with the Dodgers for sure. Meanwhile, Boston clears up some of its middle infield issues and gets wildcard or two back from LA. I’d still like to see Boston get an established 2nd baseman rather than play Chang, Arroyo or Lopez there. It’s really their 1 missing piece of the puzzle on offense once Story gets back to SS.
Chang about to be DFA
Nope.
Chang about to be DFA
=========================
.836 OPS over his last 9 games. Why would they DFA him?
Both Reyes and Story would be better options moving forward. Obviously not immediately, but soon.
Story isnt playing SS with a new repaired elbow. DH for a longtime, maybe some time at 2B in Sept, but SS?
The reason Kike was moved was because Reyes came off the IL.
What’s with the superfluous accent on the e? And does he go by Enrique now? I doubt MLBTR would be publishing news about Randall Johnson or Gregory Maddux
That accent is not superfluous. It’s how you spell his name.
There’s more than one language on this planet…
My apologies; I used the wrong term. It’s not superfluous: it’s just incorrect. His name is pronounced KEE-kay. The accent isnt so much unnecessary as it is ridiculous; it’s total nonsense attached by someone who doesnt understand emphasis of syllables and/or Spanish (and later copied).
Goddamn @teachdad46, that is such an unintentionally funny comment. The accent is only added (incorrectly) because people refuse to accept that “there’s more than one language on this planet” and tried (again, incorrectly) to make a Spanish name more palatable for an English-speaking audience
If this is what the Red Sox got for Kiki I wonder what Justin Turner is worth on the open market?
BANANA MAN RETURNS!
He provided good clubhouse energy and some big hits. He’s not afraid of the big moments they just have to come to him.
On one hand I’m sorry to see him go as he was a big contributor to the ’21 team, but on the other hand it needed to happen.
It’s chiam so don’t fall in love with any of these players
This guy should never have gotten 10 million after last season. I get that after his 2021 season, but not his 2022 season. He is a worse version of Marcus Semien: glove first and no bat (Semien has a bat that he occasionally feels like using).
Wat?
That explains why Semien has won a silver slugger award. Because he is a bad offensive player.
sometimes. This year, yes. Last year, not so much.
On average, he is. It’s also the case that Semien started at 2nd in the all star game. 2nd baseman don’t hit too well, and he had 2 outlier years and has otherwise been 9% above league average in OPS. That IKF with an OPS+ 30 points higher for 20+ million more a year. He occasionally “uses his bat” (hits well) when he is having a good year with a 130+ OPS+, but that isn’t the norm.
Actually Semien is a SS that has been moved to 2nd to accommodate Seager. He also did the move in Toronto to accommodate for Bichette.
You do realize that any percentage above average means good, right? Add exceptional defense at 2B and Semien is the top 2B in baseball.
That’s a crazy comment bro. Semien is arguably the best overall 2B in the league these days, top 5 at worst.
.653 ops is bad
Career numbers don’t matter much. What does is what he has done recently. He has a 96 OPS+/95 wRC+ in 2022-2023 against LHP. He has NOT been good. At best you could say he was average.
Since PA against LHP made up just 25.6% of his totals, it makes that mediocre performance against LHP even less beneficial to the Dodgers.
But then you are the math guy, so you already knew that.
“Still hitting lefties ok.”
Then you gave this year’s numbers, and they are putrid, NOT ok. Not even close to ok.
Even if you use the last two seasons, they are still below average.
He probably doesn’t improve considering he spent the last 2 seasons in a ballpark that plays to a RHB against LHP. If you can’t hit LHP pitching there, you won’t hit it better elsewhere. Also, look at his career numbers vs LHP with the Dodgers. The mediocre numbers he put up the last two season with the Red Sox has been substantially better.
You don’t know a thing about baseball and won’t admit when you are wrong, which is ALL the time.
So, when you are QUOTED, you think it’s making things up? That tells me a lot about you.
Still have no clue how you think you understand math or baseball even an iota.
You got schooled and now YOU are feeling it in the tush. Good. We really don’t need people like you on this board.
I kept calling him out on his BS and he muted me. He is definitely feeling it in the behind.
He muted me too. Welcome to the club.
Lots of talk about men’s asses in this subthread.
Pads fan should be the last person to whine about people muting him when he’s as big of a cry baby whip about muting people himself
You seem to be the only one that noticed. Congratulations.
LackofMath mentions this year’s stats to try to justify his original stupid comment and then says, but, but, but career numbers? Is he for real?
Including you.
What numbers are putrid?
His K (12%) and BB (8%) are very good.
His OBP (.314) is fine
It’s just his ISO (.078) that’s bringing him down.
Also, he’s had a 99 wRC+ vs lefties the last 2 years. And a 122 with the Dodgers
.260/.314/.338/.652 with a 79 OPS+ in the 25% of his PA against LHP. Against RHP its much, much worse.
Combine that with bad defense everywhere he played and you have literally the worst player in baseball.
He has a 95 wRC+ against LHP the last 2 years, not 99. You are saying that is his strength and he has been worse than average at it.
What?
Batting average doesn’t, matter. But .260 is not putrid
OBP matters. .314 is not putrid
As I said, the issue is that he’s not, in a very small sample,hitting for power. Something that he has a history of doing.
Yes, he’s been bad, again, in a very small sample this year. But, it doesn’t look like its in his approach. It doesn’t,look like it’s in his ability to recognize pitches. It doesn’t look like it’s in his ability to make contact.
It’s like you are having a conversation with someone you are creating in your head and not with me,
Ok. We understand that you have no clue about baseball. I have seen your pathetic attempt at a blog.
.652 OPS is putrid.
79 OPS+ is putrid.
.314 OBP is BELOW AVERAGE.
He is below average in contact rates. He is below average in hard hit %.
He is doing NOTHING well.
Congrats
The second person to get muted
Discussing baseball can be a lot of things. Fun is one. Interesting can be another. Enlightening…
I have no idea if that person was miserable or if they spend holidays alone.
I just don’t think they were interested in better understanding baseball and specific players, which is my purpose here
Probably Salary savings the use that savings to get a pitcher and stay under the lux tax Bloom can’t make that mistake again.
Let the Boston selling begin…
Not really. Kike hasn’t produced offensively and has be horrendous defensively. Pablo Reyes, who is like taking his roster spot has been the better of the two. Kike gets to go back to LA and play every day on a team he’s comfortable on so that can only help him improve
Not really. He’s done virtually nothing this year and the team has plenty to replace him. I’ll be more interested to see what they get back from trading Duvall to Atlanta (assuming that rumor comes true) or if they trade someone more substantial before I consider them sellers.. This strikes me as a non-needle-mover that just solves a glut and frees up a little cash to add…
Unfortunately i see nothing but a pair of minor leaguers coming back for Duvall unless AA convinces Bloom to take Pillar or Hilliard back in the deal
Will Duvall bring back less than Hernandez? He is cheaper and hitting better, right?
Realistically the Sox probably aren’t getting Vaughn Grissom or one of the young starters back in a deal with the Braves so it’s possible
Kike was so good in LA as a utility player, maybe bringing him back to where he had most success will get him on the right track
There’s no need for antisemitism just because he’s underperforming.
Kiké is his nickname by which he is known in LA. Some people here on MLBTR unintentionally don’t add the accent when typing, but they don’t mean “kike”.
Welcome back KIKE!!! great club house guy, smashes lefties, and will play well in the playoffs. Great move Doyers!
Stop being racist….
stupid comment
Wow. This kind of open antisemitism is crazy.
@nottinhamforesy13, @julioverrated Urias and @hamfighter
Kiké is his nickname by which he is known in LA. Some people here on MLBTR unintentionally don’t add the accent when typing, but they don’t mean “kike”.
yes, i was referring to the idiotic statement that it was racist, Anyone who doesn’t know his nickname doesn’t belong here.
What did the Red Sox include with Hernandez to motivate Andrew Friedman to absorb the balance of Kiki’s 10 million dollar salary?
There was no reason from a baseball perspective to take Hernandez back in a trade.
Looks like the Red Sox are paying most of his salary and getting two pitching prospects.
where did you get the info concerning the Sox paying most of his salary?
Deal makes absolutely no sense unless Red Sox are eating most of the salary. Can’t shed a bad contract and get prospects for nothing.
Looking at the quality of the relievers they received in return. If Friedman is paying the salary and gave up two MLB ready relievers for the privilege, then he is not as smart as I thought he is.
Who told you that deals had to make sense?
Boston paying $2.5mm of remaining $3.6mm contract wise guy.
Looks like you were right. Red Sox ate $2.5 million of his remaining salary.
There is no free lunch, even in MLB. Hehe.
I am happy about this trade Kike do you love me are we riding
Can he catch?
Kike’s chapter in Boston is done. I thank him for the 2021 postseason, but other than this, he is a very mediocre player overall. Was great in center field but other than this, he didn’t have much other need.
Do the Sox get anything at all in return or a PTBNL?
That kind of talk is uncalled for. I’m surprised someone still uses that word in this day and age.
Man I thought Kike was already like 33 yrs old
Hernandez for Brasier?
Mango – Well done!
Fever… your loyalty doesn’t go unnoticed…. NEW SKIPPER!!! ( el tiante must be your pitching coach though)….
Oh god nooooooooooooooooooooo…!!!
Mr Pedro mango tree….. YOU ARE MY CHOICE FOR NEW GM!!!( unless Bloom beats you to it) they he can stay!!!
I am guessing Red Sox pay the salary in exchange for an A-ball arm.
2 upper minors arms
He’s been traded for T-Rex?
Short stay for Marisnick
Kike going home. Won’t hurt the Red Sox and won’t help the Dodgers. Curious as to why it was done at all.
The Dodgers have three lefty outfielders with large platoon splits and only one player on their roster who can really play center
Both Peralta and Outman are hitting LHP better than Kike. Betts is a RHB.
How is Peralta “hitting LHP better than Kiké”
How is Outman “hitting LHP better than Kiké”
Please remember to consider things like number of plate appearances and BABIP.
How is Peralta NOT hitting LHP better than Kike?
How is Outman NOT hitting LHP better than Kike.?
Oy
Internet discourse is so bad
Well, Peralta has an OPS of .563 against lefties while Ki ki has a .652. So that counts as “Peralta NOT hitting LHP better than Kike”.
Past that, I assume that there is some projection involved with these moves. While it is true that Outman has a better OPS against lefties, it is also based on a .455 BABIP, while KH’s .652 is based on a .279 BABIP.
Their HR v lefties is almost identical, while KH has a 10/7 K/W and Outman has a 28/8 K/W. If there was a website that handled such types of wagers, I would gladly bet that KH has a better OPS against lefties than either of those two.
Joe,
Thanks for the answer and you are correct. It wasn’t on you to come up with those answers. It was on that moron Dodger honk filihok to do it..When he makes moronic posts like that, HE needs to at least back up his assertions.
FWIW, there is no pat answer for “hitting better”. One could have a higher OPS while not hitting as well due to luck. All it takes is a couple of medium range flyballs right down the line while the other guys hits a few 400 foot shots to dead CF.
It is more feeling than data right now, but my guess is that KH does pretty well with LA.
By this time next week, I am predicting a deluge of RS “fans” screaming about why we let this future “HOFer’ go. Actually, it isn’t much of a prediction since they do that every time.
Leave him alone he’s just a new fan. Sounds like a 15 year old kid who never played or really understands baseball but it’s good to have new fans to the sport.
Oh I agree his takes are worst than god awful. He’s got me mute so be careful
Me, too, and I wear it like a badge of honor!
Yeah me too, I obviously said something true which he didn’t like and had to fill out the hurt feelings report.
Dodgers needed another light-hitting mediocre fielder.
He can rake at times. He isn’t a Barnes, but can really get hot, and help the team. Its a no brainer type of deal for Dodgers.
Way more of a no brainer type of deal for the Red Sox.
Dodgers need some roster depth. Getting ready to send Pages to CHW
This was a predictable however Dodgers should of tried to get Verdugo back
No, he’s a knucklehead.
no he is not.
do they want roster depth or nostalgia?
Not even a single mention of what the Red Sox receive back? PTBNL?
“Not even a single mention”…Last thing I heard was the Rsox & Dodgers were negotiating whether the Redsox would receive fries with their Jumbo burger for Kiki. They obviously must have worked out their differences because Friedman initially did NOT want to include fries.
It appears it was updated shortly after.
Two relief arms is a lot more than the pack of dip I expected for him.
They got 2 cans of Copenhagen back instead of Longhorn. Good job, Chaim
This isn’t a baseball move. Andrew Friedman misses Kike and his tight fitting pants…
Friedman is Jewish. I doubt he’d appreciate that kind of language.
Kiké is his nickname by which he is known in LA. Some people here on MLBTR unintentionally don’t add the accent when typing, but they don’t mean “kike”.
Well that’s reassuring. His nickname comes from being Enrique Jr. The other option would have been Little Rickie.
Can’t wait to hear his post game interviews again.
cora’s going to cry himself to sleep tonight
Nice to have Kike’s wife back as part of the trade
It had to be either him or Duvall, or it might still be Duvall. But without Ki ki playing SS, there were going to be very few ABs available. Good luck in LA.
Duval is also going. In a pinch Ceddane can play CF if Durran gets injured.
Case of Kleenex for Alex Cora.
I wonder if this is part of a bigger trade like moving Busch
Good guy, glad he’s going home. Best of luck to him.
Could be a good platoon with Peralta or Heyward in the outfield.
Hey could they be bringing the band back – just need to get a few more from Redsox like Turner, Verdugo, and Jansen.
Giants about ready to cut Wood and Stripling.
They can have them all in return for the dodgers top ten prospects
Sox prefer to keep the GOOD ex-Dodgers.
Give us back BRIAS or no DEAL!!!!
Update!!!!! Well 2 pitcher’s whose stats are like BRAIS…. But not the same (sad)
You’ve been without him so long you spelled it wrong the first time through….
That’s not a terrible return for Boston especially if they ate no cash. Might actually get a useful reliever.
Dodgers need to find a new home for Austin Barnes. AB is utterly worthless.
Kike recruited Turner and then dipped lol
Good one Chaim! Next: Duvall to the Braves. Then pick up Justin Lawrence from the Rockies.
Wowwwwwww I just did this trade in #MLBtheshow23 4 days ago lmfaooooo this happens too me alot .. just wow and the fact they even traded kike but holy crap .. and bergy retired today … Always something with our teams hahahahaha
Kike recruited Turner and dipped… lol welcome back home Kike we missed you out here!
Not the prospect part but the kike too the dodgers .. holy crap that’s just too funny
Now hopefully either trade or free agency my other one comes true #Shohei too redsox .
now bring back alanna rizzo ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
The Dodgers can’t quit him.
Justin Hagenman and Nick Robertson go to Boston. Kike for nothing would have been great. This is better.
Those are AAAA arms. Both are already in their mid 20s.
And sometimes those AAAA players pan out. Neither has had much time in the Majors. It’s still better than nothing
It’s still better than nothing
===========================
Considering the #8 RPs we’ve been cycling on and off the roster, this feels like an immediate improvement. And given the warm welcome that Winckowski, Bernardino, and Schreiber received, I’m not surprised that some “fans” already don’t like them.
Getting two minor leaders back is a plus. Who knows, they could pan out.
Robertson is 24. Not old in prospect terms. Hagerman is 26. Both are putting up sub-3 ERA’s in the PCL. A 207 ERA+ and a 195 ERA+. That is not a quad A arm in either case.
fred – 3
Very true. A couple of cases of Boston Lager or 2 AAAA SPs.
Either way, Boston wins the deal by a huge margin.
Addition by subtracting 15 infield errors works for me.
How old are you? is not one of the credentials they look for in arbitration, just results. If Boston has them for all 6 years before FA, one will be 31 at the end and the other will be 32. Not much downside there.
They could have gotten a 1991 Mercury Topaz for Hernandez and still come out on top. Now be quiet. Alex Cora is still weeping.
Good riddance . Send Cora with him .
Both are already in their mid 20s.
============================
And the average age of a MLB is 29.1. So what’s the issue?
addition by subtraction
It is not possible to be more excited about a non-big name deal. Kike is back!!!!
Yay now the Dodgers can focus on pitching before deadline. Kike checks all the boxes for what they needed on defense, and positioning in the field. Great team guy, and little risk
A player with bad defense and can’t hit is what the Dodgers needed?
Dodgers wont play him out of position.
Was he good at any position?
Surprised this wasn’t both Kike and Justin Turner to the Dodgers for J.D. Martinez. Terrible trade, but it would send everyone back to where they were in 2020.
Not quite…..Jansen for MY GUY( Betts a throw in)
Forgot about those guys too!
Why…
So Braiser can be our closer and Mookie can be defensive replacement/ pinch runner… theeeeeeeeee??????
If they DFA Yonny, they will save big time on sweaters and letters
If this is what it costs to get an rental utility player with almost negative 1 WAR on the season, then this deadline is going to be a dud. I hope the Giants don’t waste backend top 30 prospects on arguable non-upgrades to the roster. Just promote from the minors at this point.
But, if Kiki plays where he’s most useful in LA, instead of where he never had any business as a SS, that wouldn’t be a negative war showing… so, there’s that
D for Dodgers. I am sure they have a plan to improve him. Good name recognition for fans. Always good to have a versatile player. Who were they bidding against? Took 2 arms?
A plus for Boston. Don’t see how they could have done better. I like the 2 arms. They need some work but something there to work with.
My *guess* is boston was interested in a non-40 man player, demanded more, so LA threw in the guy they planed to DFA and then release to make room on their own 40 man.
Generous of them
Meh… ish. Guys with better numbers than Robertson have been going through waivers right and left of late in MLB.
He could be something if he could put things together, but it also wouldnt surprise me if he wound up as a guy who managed to get passed through by BOS in a roster crunch at some point and outrighted
Really? Can you name one?
He just needs a part time spot, which wasn’t happening with the Red Sox because of injuries.
Postseason: 194 PA .900 OPS (has 323 PA so far this year) – salary $10,000,000
Postseason: 198 PA .772 OPS (has 213 PA so far this year) – salary $40,000,000
Kike has a better toe, I guess.
Now Kike to the Angels for Ohtani.
Any deal sending Kiki away is a good deal. The two SPs have nice upside potential so mark this as a good deal for Boston. We won’t miss the errors. We won’t miss the bad batting average. Duran and Duvall cover CF so he’s not needed at the one place he could field.
Excellent trade!!
Sox got a nice little deal out of this. Good for them
Two no-name relief depth with control is certainly squeezing last drops of the lemon. Although disgruntled attitudes hang over Bloom and direction under his supervision, this deal will put a smile on any understanding Red Sox fan. It’s a drop in the bucket but it certainly assuages doubts; at least he’d make a great second in command.
Getting the band back together. Sad trombone:(
No surprise, Boston fans were waiting to turn on Hernandez. News flash, he isn’t coming to LA to play SS, or to play every day, he’s coming to play CF in a platoon against lefties. This is where the Dodgers are thin. Though I was actually hoping they’d go after Randal Grichuk for this role, Hernandez should cover it passably well.
I’d make a minor wager that Ki ki does well for the LAD. I doubt you see the 2021 version, but my guess is that he will have played 4 different positions in the next two weeks, which is what the LAD need.
They don’t really need that
They have an OF, DeLuca, on the roster (though he tore up his hand, so he might be out) and an IF in the roster, Yonny Hernandez, who aren’t doing much. That’s who they are trying to. Improve on.
Yes, ideally, Kiké can help improve on both of them.
Good trade for the Sox
If u watched the dodgers last night , u know why they made the move now!
Please educate me… Boston is paying 2.5 million of his contract while Dodgers are paying 1.1 million. Where is the other 6.4 million?
The fact Boston got anything back is a plus and these guys may even help us.
Never mind on the first part- all I had to do was read more efficiently.
“Where is the other 6.4”
In Kike’s pocket.
Haters are too bright.
What is Cora going to do without his boy?
Hopefully the same thing he did in 18
Next up is Duvall- I really think we can get something back for him. The Braves want him too and we have too many outfielders.
I think (hope) they might pivot and sell high on Verdugo in a package for a ML pitcher (nobody crazy but a good mid/back rotation guy). Cleveland, Seattle, and Milwaukee all fit the bill as teams with good pitching depth and at least one corner outfield spot that’s an absolute black hole
I’m hoping for this too. Verdugo looks utterly disaffected–is he still pouting over his Oscars snub?
Verdugo for Bryan Woo makes sense. Woo is kinda iffy but has some upside meanwhile the M’s need a bat.
As a Sox fan I would love that trade. Might need to kick in a little extra on either side to make it make sense. Not sure how Seattle fans would feel
Verdugo has 1 additional year of control. Woo has 6.
That trade makes sense for 1 team and it isn’t Seattle.
@bstrowman Yeah but Woo is iffy and not worth a fortune.
Woo has also not established himself in the bigs and doesn’t have a great prospect pedigree. His big league stats have some cause for optimism, but its not like you’re trading Logan Gilbert
No
No way
Once a cheating loser Dodger always a cheating loser Dodger he’ll probably go on a tear there
It will be interesting to see what number he wears, as his old one has been retired.
A textbook case of addition by subtraction for the Red Sox.
Add in two MLB ready bullpen arms and $1.1 million and it’s a total steal for the Red Sox.
Wow. Did the Sox just rob LA??? Hernandez was horrible. Addition by subtraction. It is like Boston got 3 players for a couple million.
I am not a fan of Bloom, but i really have to give a tip.of the to Bloom. Nice move!
I think this was a good deal for both teams.
Kike’s history with the Dodgers helped any other team and the return is much less.
Justin Turner is what the Dodgers needed. He can play 3B/2B/1B plus he still has a potent bat.
CT3 can play CF/SS/2B. No need for Hernandez anywhere on the roster. .
lol CT3 can’t do much but strike out.
The Dodgers roll out Jonny Deluca, who got hurt last night, Yonny Hernandez (and Austin Barnes) with semi-regularity. The fact Hernandez isn’t good for Boston doesn’t mean he won’t be better than who he will be replacing in LA. Being in first place and having a great farm system where you can afford to trade two non-descript arms has its benefits. Meanwhile, the Sawks fans here are trying to shine up a couple AAAA guys to help some glaring holes while criticizing someone who will be a bench player and not expected to carry a team. Gotta love comment sections.
Yes. Taylor is K’ing a ton. But, he’s roughly a league average hitter. So, he does do something besides strike out.
Boos in Dodger Stadium from your own fans are hard to come by, yet this guy has figured out the formula.
Look, the Dodgers already have a guy in the lineup with an average around .200 who hits more homers and actually doesn’t strike out like you get an award for doing it more than the next guy.
$1.1M and 2 decent PCL relievers seems like a high price to pay for Kike. The market this week is going to be like the real estate market in 2021…
Kiké‼️
Not bad. Robertson might actually be of some low-end assistance.
Congratulations to Bloom he won this trade with the Dodgers. To get two pitchers in the PCL with a sub 3 ERA is a very impressive haul for an underperforming Kiki. Both players are young and appear to have major league upside. I hope Bloom can get something similar for Duval, if he can’t he should just keep him.
king – I agree it was a good trade.
However I disagree with trading Duvall now. Who would be the second backup OF’er? Do you really trust Ref in CF?
Rafaela is not walking through that door, not this year.
Yea don’t expect Duvall to be traded now.
The only way we see Rafaela this year in Boston is an injury to either Duran or Duvall.
Rafaela will definitely be up in September, thats just over a month away. So, yes they could make due with Duvall being traded and Pablo Reyes as the backup CFer. They’ve been playing him in CF in Worcester for a reason.
The only way this is a W for LA is if they DFA Trayce Thompson once he’s activated – if not sooner.
Looks good to me, Kike was done here. He wasn’t going to replicate his awesomeness, which wasn’t real necessary or reasonable.
Thanks Kike, see ya in the playoffs.
Why are you using antisemitic slurs so freely?
So much for Miguel Vargas for the 2023 season.
Nice trade for Sox.
Red Sox overloaded with better utility infielders, with seemingly only one team interested in him (LAD). Kike has the worst FWar of any major league ballplayer this season. — Red Sox were able to trade him for 2 young right-handed relievers, they badly need.
Wow, just wow.
Yes Wow, how Boston fans revered Kiki when he was nothing more than a utility infielder/outfielder who pretty much offensively performed as he did in LA…….underwhelmingly average to say the least especially when you factor in his defense regardless of where he played was pretty average at best….kind of like another Boston utility guy (whose name I won’t mention) who was revered as a god of baseball in Beantown…….Wow to say the least…erect a statue of Bloom…..quickly………maybe my Yankees should get on the phone to LA in a sell mode as long as LA’s GM is in this stupor!
You dont follow the Red Sox do you?
“Boston fans revered Kike (Correct spelling)”
In 2021, they revered him, and hoped/expected repeat performance after.
“factor in his defense”
Again, you clearly dont follow the Red Sox, or you’d know he played some of the best Defensive CF in baseball in 2021. Instead just lock on him at SS where he doesnt belong.
“erect a statue”
Idiotic comment. Who said erect a statue? Just you.
To be fair, no Red Sox fans revered the weak hitting Hernandez. They tolerated his bad play at SS, his miserable hitting and hoped for a hot streak at the right time like in 2021. That’s not reverence that’s patience and generosity by Red Sox fans. He’s a AAA player who has had his big moments. His career documents both his lack of skill and his moments of exceptional play that seem to be remembered more than his miserable day to day performances,.
No statue. Just a big thanks for taking him off our hands. Nobody deserves him more than LAD after they took Mookie and landed JD Martinez for next to nothing. I guess the LA GM is finally trying to pay back the Boston GM for all his favors.
Trivia Rocky…..only player to hit for cycle in playoff history… clue… was against YOUR Yankees……made the most of his ability and then some…. Nana nana nana…. Brockstar!!!!!
Verdugo should not be moved unless he is part of a bigger deal for a starting pitcher. He needs a little time off to re-group. This kid has kept us in the chase this season. He’s a player, a grinder, as they say. They come wired. I like Duvall but they have Ref as a R’handed
sub. Ceddanne will be a good Sept. call-up. The Bravos may not give the + prospect(s) so willingly the Dodgers parted with for Hernandez. Happy to see him reunited with Dodger Blue.
The Braves have a loaded top to bottom, line-up.
Good win for the Sox yesterday.
No one calls the guy “Enrique”. I guess the writer didn’t know how to type an “é”.
This is his actual given name. His father is Enrique Sr. Kiké is a nickname.
You don’t say! I guess that one went right over your head.
This guy is over the hill and nothing special .222 over the last 2 years and an OPS+ of 67 shows he’s a well below average players at this stage of his career.
I would’ve rather seen the Dodgers get Tommy Edman or Nolan Gorman from the Cardinals instead of Kike’ Hernandez. Who knows, maybe they tried.
Yikes. What absolute mid comments. And those are the good ones.
Seriously, there are like 5 out of the 250 comments here that aren’t childish trash.
Everyone knows Kikē has struggled this year. That’s why 1) he was available and 2) the cost to acquire him was a couple of nondescrit relievers.
With the Dodgers, he’s there to replace either IF Yohnny Hernandez or OF Johnny DeLuca. The Dodgers are obviously hoping that their coaching staff and a return to LA will get him back on track.
He still has great BB and K rates vs left-handed pitchers. And a decent BABIP. The problem has been a complete lack of power. They must think they can “fix” that.
Dodgers aren’t that team.
Why not?
Play in an overrated division that is only stronger than the two centrals, they have weak spots on the diamonds and their pitching proves ever October they aren’t up for the task. How many more early exits do you need before it sinks in that they aren’t that team?
Yes. AL East, AL West and NL East are superior to the NL West.
I’m sorry that you think any of that makes any sense.
You mean the Dodgers’ early exits except for the 2020 covid year? Yes. What has you confused? The soft division or the inevitable exits against better NL teams?
The problem is that since most teams usually don’t win the championship people think that means they can’t win the championship.
It’s dumb thinking, but,..look around, the world is full 9f dumb thinking right now. And, probably, always
Anyway
Let’s devise a test that will help us see if you know what you are talking about.
Tell me what teams
1) CAN win the WS. What teams are the team
2) CANNOT win the WS. What teams aren’t the team.
If one of the teams you think can win actually wins, that’s bully for you..
If one of the teams you think can’t win actually wins, it shows you are a fraud who doesn’t know what you are talking about.
So, let’s have it,
The question you should be answering is why the team that is near the top in overall regular season record year in and year out struggles in the postseason.
I think even you would agree this current 2023 Dodgers team has holes. Perhaps more than previous years where they underachieved. They should also be thankful the mediocre San Fran, Zona and SD squads do them favors along with a bad Colorado team. Still unsure why you seem offended or refuse to acknowledge these realities in-front of you.
Nope.
Not changing the subject. You made the claim that you can devine which teams are “not the team”.
So, go ahead and put up
Which other teams in contention, do you think are not the team?
And if one of them happens to win, will you shut up?
After you make your claim falsifiable, we can have further discussion.
year in and year out struggles in the postseason.
================================
They don’t struggle in the playoffs. Since 2017, they are 10-5 in playoff series. You make the common mistake of underestimating how much variance there is in short series.
My back of a scrap of paper math puts the Dodgers at 44-26 in the playoffs since 2017. That’s a .629 winning percentage. Which is a 101 win pace. Against the best teams in baseball
This “the Dodgers suck in the postseason” thing is just uniformed drivel.
He was extremely overrated the first time he was here. Did he finally realize that he’s not a power hitter?
Overrated by whom?
What does someone’s inability to rate him have to do,with anything?
And, his ISO was above league average most of the time that he was a Dodger.
Maybe he was a power hitter?
Good luck LAD as you focus on a very bad player being added to your roster.
In Boston, the focus is on two shining stars. Duran and Casas.
Yes, Yoshida and Turner have done great but Duran and Casas are home grown players proving that the farm system is still producing great players in this decade too. Not to mention Houck and his rise in 2023. Hopefully, others like Mata will follow along with the high draft picks of Mayer and Yorke.
Finally a light at the end of the long dark tunnel!!
LOL
Wut?
Maybe you should pay attention to more baseball than just your team.
The guy you were starting at SS is not a focus of our team but one of the last players on the bench.
FIUHok – I was commenting on all the Dodger feedback on this page. Much ado about nothing. I agree with your assessment of Kike.. He’s a bench guy at best.
Let me ask…..,Other than the Ring Mookie won you guys, how good is a franchise who wins a ring once every 45 years? We had one like that many years ago but you have one right now.
Don’t throw stones when you have nothing to brag about All teams have down eras and this one was self-imposed by bad choices by ownership but it’s almost over. Fact is we still have 3 more rings this century but hey you guys have lots of participation trophies for playing in a weak division that surely is worthy of bragging about to fans from the AL East! Need I remind you that our farm system produced Mookie and Atlanta’s produced Freeman your two best players..
“FIUHok”
Muted. Not the type of individual I want to engage with.
Let me rebut some of the points anyway
1) Ringz! This is what happens when casual baseball fans take bad arguments from other sports and try to apply them to baseball.
2) “nothing to brag about”. This is what happens when people have no accomplishments of their own and have to attach themselves to the announcements of others. That a team someone likes wins is nothing to brag about.
3) “participation trophies”. Just cringe. Are you also pissed off at “low T Ken” from the new Barbie movie?
4) Mookie and Freddy. The Dodgers’ farm has also produced a few players. Clayton Kershaw. Will Smith. And the development team has turned players like Max Muncy and Chris Taylor into useful pieces.
Kiki with the .500 average with LA with a 1.000 FP.
Brasier with the 1.20 ERA and leading the team in saves over the past 14 days.
Joe.B….stop it… please don’t steal what little thunder I have with RB(LOL)
Yo siente.
Meanwhile belongs at the start of the sentence, you can’t just throw it in the middle and put commas around it.
FiUHok
The unwarranted condescension is what drew my first response and now I see it’s a chronic problem with you.
1 – My comments about rings (with an “s” not a “z”) have nothing to do with other sports. Nice misdirection since there is no comeback for facts presented to you..
2 – The bragging was to simply put things in perspective after you insulted the Red Sox. People in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones or insults at more successful organizations.
3 – This comment explains allot about where your head is. I have no idea about the reference because it appears to be childish or child related but clearly not baseball related. I guess that’s part of the pompous behavior which defines each of your responses.
4 – Finally a baseball comment!! Kershaw and Will Smith are excellent home grown players. The point you are responding to is that Boston’s success this century both on the MLB field and in the farm system continues to out perform the Dodgers so next time you want to say something disparaging about something, speak to individual players in your own organization and don’t cheap shot other, superior organizations.
Baseball knowledge is easily professed by guys like you but people like me who have been part of baseball for 50 years laugh at your condescending comments about not knowing the game. If you actually knew baseball you wouldn’t take the attitude you’ve taken with me. It’s a sure sign of a pretender. Bone up on the game and lets have another discussion some time where you talk baseball not trash.