(Image credits: David Butler II of USA Sports)
For Red Sox fans, it's felt like a rather lackluster offseason, to say the least. Up until last weekend, the most exciting move the front office made all winter was re-signing Martín Pérez on a team-friendly one-year deal for $4.5 million, answering at least one question regarding the starting rotation. Other than that, for the most part, it's felt like a majority of the signings this offseason Red Sox have been the runner up, continuously losing out despite their "strong interest." However, the ball finally seems to be rolling in the Boston front office.
The Red Sox agreed to a two-year, $14 million contract with former Dodgers utility man Kiké Hernandez, as first reported by Mark Feinsand of MLB.com, making it the largest contract given in the Chaim Bloom era thus far. While he played a utility role in Los Angeles, it's expected Hernandez will become Boston's everyday second baseman, giving them the stability at the position they've been looking for since Pedroia's injury woes began.
Originally drafted by the Houston Astros in 2009, most of Hernandez's major league career has been as a Dodger, playing his last 6 seasons in Los Angeles as their utility man, making an appearance in every position except for catcher. A career .240/.313/.425 hitter, he fares particularly well against left-handed pitching, slashing .263/.345/.474 in his career.
Hernandez was looking for an everyday role in his free agency, making Boston a good fit for multiple reasons. Though he's played nearly every position, he is primarily fit for a role either at second base or in the outfield, playing 200 games in his career at second base and 344 in the outfield. Before the acquisition Friday, it seemed as if Chrisitan Arroyo would be the primary second baseman for Boston in 2021. While Arroyo was the best option for the Sox last year in a forgettable 2020 season, he does not have near the proven experience Hernandez does at the position, most likely pushing Arroyo to a bench role. This of course also raises questions regarding Michael Chavis's future with the Sox, as he lost out his role as second baseman to Arroyo last year.
Another reason Hernandez possibly agreed on a deal with Boston is his connection to manager Alex Cora. Both natives of Puerto Rico, Cora, manager of Puerto Rico's 2017 team for the World Baseball Classic team, recruited Hernandez to play for him. A big part of what makes Cora such a good manager is the connection he's formed with his players and the trust they have in him, so already previously having a relationship with the skipper certainly is good news for both sides.
While he is most likely going to be spending a majority of the season at second base, Hernandez's experience at nearly every position also adds some more depth to the Red Sox roster, something they were definitely lacking in 2020.
The Hernandez signing was not the only big news to come out of the Boston front office this weekend. The Red Sox reached a one-year, $10 million deal with an option for a second year with right-handed pitcher Garrett Richards Saturday. Richards, 32 years old, spent his last two seasons in San Diego, however, most of his career has been with the Angels from 2011 to 2018.
Richards does have a rather extensive injury history. In 2014, he suffered from a torn patellar tendon he got while pitching against the Red Sox, ending his season. He returned fully healthy in 2015, starting 32 games with a record of 15-12, and an ERA of 3.65. Unfortunately, injuries continued to riddle his career with the Angels the next few seasons. In 2016 and 2017, he made a combined 12 starts. While he looked strong on the mound in those starts posting a 2.34 ERA in 2016 and 2.28 in 2017, a diagnosed torn ligament in his right arm in '16 began to overshadow his career. Still, Richards returned to the mound in 2018 for the Angels and made 16 starts up until July, after leaving a game against Mariners due to right arm irritation. Ultimately after further medical evaluation, Richards opted for Tommy John surgery ending his season and career with the Angels.
In December 2018, Richards signed as a free agent with the San Diego Padres. Due to his Tommy John recovery, he made just three starts for the Padres in 2019, pitching 8.2 innings, allowing 10 hits and 8 runs, finishing the year with an 8.31 ERA. No doubt the hope was for 2020 to be a bounce-back year for the veteran pitcher. Unfortunately for Richards, like many other players, the delayed and shortened 60-game season did not lend a hand to that. He made 10 starts for the Padres last season going 2-2, and was moved to the bullpen late in the regular season and kept there for playoffs. He finished off the year with a 4.03 ERA, striking out 46 batters.
Certainly, Richards' injury history is something to be wary of, something the Red Sox are well aware of but make no mistake: Richards has some good stuff. He owns three of the top-five highest spun curveballs in the Statcast era, as Matthew Brownstein of the New York Times noted. Richards' most-used pitch is his four-seam fastball, which sits at about 95.1 mph on average, but perhaps his most effective pitch is his slider, something he's begun to utilize more, using it 37.8% of the time last season. He of course also throws a nasty curveball thanks to an impressive spin rate and used it 7.5% of the time last season. Not surprisingly, the right-handed pitcher fares much better against right-handed hitters than left, with a .589 OPS against him with right-handed hitters compared to a .853 OPS from left-handed hitters, luckily aside from the Tampa Bay Rays, the AL East isn't exactly loaded with left-handed hitters.
As of right now, the rotation stands as Eduardo Rodriguez, Nathan Eovaldi, Garrett Richards, and Martín Pérez with Tanner Houck, Matt Andriese, and Nick Pivetta all potential guys to make some starts as well. While the hope is to have Sale back by mid-summer, with the Richards signing, Rodriguez and Pérez back, and three different guys who all have a chance at making strides as starters, as long as everyone stays healthy and is effective, there's no need to rush Sale back on the mound. If that rotation alone can help the Red Sox gain their competitive edge back, then play it safe with Sale: it's better to have him fully healthy than take an unnecessary risk.
The Red Sox are certainly not done making moves yet. With the additions of Hernandez and Richards as well as Pérez, the Sox will have to make some moves to the 40-man roster to clear up some space, whether it be through trades or saying goodbye to some beloved faces, such as Dustin Pedroia (I know). Expect the next big move the Sox make to be something on the reliever front, as their bullpen certainly could use another arm or two as well.