The Los Angeles Dodgers have acquired utility player Kiké Hernández from the Boston Red Sox, the teams announced Tuesday. In return, the Red Sox will get Triple-A right-handed relievers Nick Robertson and Justin Hagenman.
We here at CBS Sports are nothing if not judgmental. As such, in keeping with our deadline and offseason tradition, we've decided to hand out some immediate grades for this deal. Will this analysis age well? Almost certainly not, but it beats thinking about the sustainability of the planet, now doesn't it?
Here, again, is the full deal:
Dodgers receive: UTL Kiké Hernández, $2.5 millionRed Sox receive: RHP Nick Robertson, RHP Justin HagenmanNow, onto the gasbaggery.
Dodgers grade: C
Hernández, 31, is no stranger to the Dodgers organization. He spent six seasons with Los Angeles prior to leaving in free agency after the 2020 season. Hernández enjoyed a breakout effort in 2021, but has since struggled the last two seasons. Over his last 725 trips to the plate, he's batted .222/.286/.330 (67 OPS+) with 12 home runs, 76 RBI, and just three stolen bases.
The Dodgers will likely deploy Hernández in a timeshare role, with a focus on getting him into the lineup against left-handed pitching. Though his numbers versus southpaws are down this season, he's historically been a more productive player when he's been granted the platoon advantage:
2021
.850
1.32
92.1 mph
2022
.815
1.71
89.1 mph
2023
.652
1.43
87.0 mph
Perhaps the Dodgers see something amiss in Hernández's swing or approach that they think they can fix. Even if they don't, their current bar is underground given they're carrying Yonny Hernández on their bench. Hernández is 3 for 20 on the season, good for a batting line of .150/.250/.200 (24 OPS+). The incoming Hernández almost has to be an upgrade by default. How much of one? That's to be seen.
We will note that the biggest knock against this trade from the Dodgers' perspective is the opportunity cost. There are only 26 spots on the roster. There's nothing wrong with employing a potentially diminished Hernández … except that doing so means you can't employ someone else who might be better. At the same time, the Dodgers' front office is the best in the business. For them to deem this a deal worth doing suggests that they either feel better about Hernández (for whatever reason) or the price point, or worse about the market's other options. Maybe it's a little of each.
Whatever the case, the Dodgers probably did not make this trade because of nostalgia alone. That doesn't mean their gamble will pay off (clearly we're ambivalent), but when a front office is consistently this good, you tend to give them some benefit of the doubt.
The Dodgers, by the way, enter Tuesday with a 57-42 record on the year, putting them in first place in the National League West. They hold a four-game advantage over both the Arizona Diamondbacks and San Francisco Giants. Expect to sees the Dodgers continue to pursue pitching help ahead of Major League Baseball's Aug. 1 deadline.
Red Sox grade: C
Generally, it's not a great sign whenever a contending team is trading away veterans. In this case, the deal is fine for the Red Sox -- heck, it might end up aiding their postseason push if Hernández's departure makes way for a better player, like, say, prospect Ceddanne Rafaela.
The Red Sox had given up the ghost of Hernández playing shortstop, replacing him there with Yu Chang. They'd taken to deploying Hernández at second base, and even then he'd only started five of their last 10 games, suggesting they weren't married to playing him anywhere. If the Red Sox had designated Hernández on Tuesday, no one would've blinked. Instead, the Red Sox turned him into a pair of bullpen arms who could pop up at Fenway at any point.
Robertson, 25, went unpicked in last winter's Rule 5 draft but had made nine appearances for the Dodgers' big-league team prior to the deal. His fastball sits in the mid-90s and he does a great job of getting downhill, generating more than seven feet of extension from the pitching rubber to his release point. His top secondary offering is a changeup that has generated more than 40% whiffs on the season. He also throws a slider, though opponents have batted .286 against it this year across the minors and majors.
Hagenman, 26, was also not selected in the Rule 5 draft. Unlike Robertson, he's yet to sample the big-league Evian. He's spent the season in Triple-A, posting a 2.78 ERA and a 5.45 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Hagenman pitches from a low slot and relies on a low-90s sinker. His arsenal includes a slider and changeup as well, with the former serving as his best swing-and-miss offering.
Neither Robertson nor Hagenman is likely to be a difference maker, but they should provide additional depth. And who knows? Chaim Bloom has shown some ability, both in Boston and Tampa Bay, at picking useful relievers from relative obscurity.
You can follow along with all of this week's trades by bookmarking and referring to CBS Sports' deal tracker.
