The Dodgers still have not closed the door on Kiké Hernández, but Brandon Gomes made it clear the club is not treating a reunion like a done deal.
Speaking at the MLB General Managers’ meetings, the Dodgers general manager said the team remains in contact with the veteran utility man, though he stopped well short of promising anything.
“I think Kiké’s been such a huge part of what we’ve done in the past and we’ll continue to have those conversations, but what that looks like right now, I don’t know,” Gomes said of Hernandez.
Hernández is back on the free-agent market after another season in Los Angeles, and this time the path to a return does not appear as straightforward. The Dodgers and Hernández are still weighing his market while also looking at possible upgrades, which keeps the door open for a reunion even if nothing is imminent.
There are also reasons the club could decide to move in a different direction. Last winter, the Dodgers and Hernández went through a lengthy process before he re-signed ahead of Spring Training.
Coming off elbow surgery, he returned on a one-year, $5 million deal and began the season on the injured list. He did not get back into action until May, then suffered another setback with an abdominal tear.
That injury cost him more time, and he eventually returned for the stretch run and the postseason. His regular season line was modest: .222/.271/.400 in 41 games, with four home runs, 12 RBIs, 28 strikeouts and six walks.
The postseason didn’t change the picture much, except for one loud swing. He delivered a big home run in the NLDS, but otherwise finished 1-for-14 with no walks and three strikeouts.
With elbow issues over the last two years and the abdominal injury added to the mix, Hernández’s health has become a real concern. At 35, the Dodgers may decide that a fresh face in the lineup makes more sense, especially if they want to create room for younger position players.
In Other News...
Dodgers Face A Costly Infield Decision After Key Departures
The Dodgers are already looking ahead to how they patch up the infield after a pair of familiar faces moved on, and the early free-agent market has given them a couple of practical options. According to The Athletic, Los Angeles has shown interest in Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Mauricio Dubon as it weighs how to replace the departures of Miguel Rojas, who retired, and Kike Hernandez, who is now a free agent.
Both players bring the kind of flexibility the Dodgers tend to value, with the club evaluating not just defense but whether either can add enough offense to make the fit worthwhile. It is the sort of decision that can quietly shape a roster for months, especially for a team that likes to keep its bench and infield mix adaptable, and the next move will say plenty about how aggressively the Dodgers want to address that opening. [Read more 🡒]
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The Blue Jays, in particular, appear capable of changing the conversation if they decide to lean into a longer-term proposal, the sort of structure they reportedly explored with Kyle Tucker. That leaves the Dodgers in an interesting spot, interested but maybe not yet as aggressive as some of the other suitors. With talks still ongoing, the question is whether Los Angeles is waiting for the market to come to it or whether a rival is about to set the pace on one of the winters biggest rotation prizes. [Read more 🡒]
Dodgers Face One Contract Problem In Tarik Skubal Pursuit
Tarik Skubals arrival last season gave the Dodgers exactly what they hoped for when they swung the trade, and he backed it up with strong work in both the regular season and the postseason. So it is no surprise that Los Angeles is expected to stay in the mix if the left-hander reaches free agency, especially for a club that has never shied away from chasing elite talent when it believes the fit is right.
The complication is the kind that can shape an entire winter: money. The Dodgers have to weigh the expected cost of a long-term Skubal deal against broader financial concerns, including the possibility of a future MLB salary cap, and that could make them more cautious than usual about how far they go. Even with their track record of landing top free agents, this is the sort of contract decision that can force a team to choose between staying aggressive and protecting its long-term flexibility. [Read more 🡒]