Breaking News: Two Favorite former Red Sox are linked to the Yankees in free agency.
This summer, the New York Yankees added a former Red Sox player, but the defending American League champs may not stop relying on that pattern.
New York showed interest in Yoán Moncada and Kiké Hernández, according to Mark W. Sanchez of the New York PosHernandez, who is currently 33 years old and has two rings, just assisted the Dodgers in defeating the Yankees in the 2024 World Series.Meanwhile, when Chicago rejected the 29-year-old’s contract option in November, Moncada was acquired by the White Sox for $5 million.Er.
Among the noteworthy deals that general manager Brian Cashman completed were the signing of first baseman Paul Goldschmidt to a one-year, $12.5 million contract with New York and starting pitcher Max Fried to an eight-year, $218 million contract. Although it falls short of the Dodgers’ free agency vacuum, Cashman has shown that he is eager to keep the Yankees in the running for the upcoming campaign.
Cashman and the pinstripes aren’t satisfied just yet, despite the impending clean slate.
After overcoming jeers at Yankee Stadium in October of last year, Hernández was also connected to The Bronx throughout the offseason.Hernandez decided to return to Los Angeles on a one-year, $4 million contract, despite the Yankees being one of several teams vying for the veteran utility infielder’s services.Since the Dodgers have all but emptied the open market and Hernandez is free to visit with any team in the league, New York appears to have a far better chance this time around.UE.
The veteran Dodger, who mostly played third base but also had appearances at first base, second base, shortstop, the outfield, and on the mound (four times), batted.229/.281/.373 with 12 home runs and 42 RBIs in 126 games.
Andrew Friedman, president of baseball operations for the Dodgers, talked about Hernandez’s availability, which isn’t encouraging for New York’s possible pursuit..
At Dodgers Fan Fest, Friedman declared, “The door will never be closed on Kiké.”
Moncada hasn’t created much notice since playing in Chicago’s 121-loss record the previous season. Moncada had a left adductor injury in early April of 2024, which restricted him to just 12 games with the White Sox. Chicago then took the simple decision to decline Moncada’s $25 million club option for 2025.
In 2023, the switch-hitting infielder/designated hitter made his debut with the White Sox, ranking 21st in the AL MVP voting poll with a career-high 25 home runs and a career-best.315 batting average. After that, Moncada has gradually deteriorated and hasn’t hit a double-digit home run total in the previous five seasons.
Moncada may end up being New York’s newest low-risk, high-potential addition. Perhaps signing a one-year contract to retool and get stronger before the upcoming summer is the best course of action for Moncada, whose stock has fallen to an all-time low, if he hopes to perform better in free agency.
