Free agent utility player is deciding between the Giants, Angels, Twins, and Padres, according to a report from . The news comes on the heels of a yesterday that indicated Hernandez was nearing a decision. Hernandez, 32, opened the 2024 season as the starting shortstop for the Red Sox, though he struggled both with the glove and at the plate in the role. After slashing .222/.279/.320 in 323 trips to the plate with Boston in the first half of the season, the club shipped Hernandez to the Dodgers for the stretch run. It was a homecoming for Hernandez, who had already played in L.A. for six seasons before signing in Boston prior to the 2021 season via free agency, and in his return to the Dodgers he found some succe s in a bench role. Hernandez slashed a roughly league average .262/.308/.423 down the stretch in L.A. while bouncing between every spot on the diamond except for catcher. The veteran has generally been utilized as a bench bat throughout his career, filling in all over the diamond thanks to his versatility and often getting reps against southpaws due to a career .801 OPS against left-handed pitching. That being said, Hernandez typically provides slightly below average offense overall. Since first joining the Dodgers prior to the 2015 season, Hernandez sports a career slash line of .239/.310/.408, good for a wRC+ of 93. That lack of offensive presence has typically kept him from securing a full-time role; 2023 was just the second season of Hernandezs career where he totaled 500 plate appearances in a season despite routinely appearing in 130 or more games for his club. Looking at the reported suitors for Hernandezs services, the Angels are perhaps the least surprising given their in the 32-year-old. Its easy to see why the Halos would have interest in Hernandezs services. While the club has plenty of interesting pieces backing up superstar in the lineup, the clubs lineup offers little in the way of certainty. Trout and former star slugger have been plagued by injury woes in recent years that have kept both veterans Patrick Murphy Jersey off the field more often than not, while exciting youngsters like and have potential but are hardly a guarantee to produce in the majors after short stays in the minor leagues. Hernandezs versatility would allow him to cover for virtually any player in the Anaheim lineup in the event of injury or under-performance, and the DH spot left open by the departure of could provide Hernandez a path to semi-regular at-bats even in the event the clubs starting lineup manages to stay healthy and effective. Hernandezs versatility could also allow the club to offer more consistency to 26-year-old infielder , who appears poised to enter the year as the clubs starting second baseman but appeared at six different positions in 2023. The other three suitors for Hernandezs services had not been publicly connected to the veteran previously. That being said, each of them could make plenty of sense as a fit for the utility man. The Padres, in particular, are in clear need of outfield depth after entering the spring with just two outfielders on their 40-man roster in and . Theyve added on a big league deal since then and have non-roster invitees such as attempting to earn a roster spot in Spring Training, but Hernandez would offer the club a steady, veteran presence off the bench who can handle all three outfield spots and could take pre sure off prospects like and to prove themselves ready for regular big league action. The roster fit for Hernandez in Minnesota and San Francisco is a little le s obvious, as both clubs already have crowded positional mixes. With that being said, the presence of Hernandez could provide the Giants with some veteran stability at shortstop should youngster not hit the ground running at the position, and Hernandezs right-handed bat could serve as a strong complement to an outfield featuring a trio of lefty regulars in , , and . Meanwhile, the Twins have a several young lefty bats in their lineup such as , , and . Adding Hernandez to the clubs positional mix would give the club a right-handed bat to complement those youngsters while also providing a clear backup option in center field should oft-injured star return to the shelf at some point this season. Buxton also isnt the only piece on the Twins roster that has struggled with injuries in recent years, as each of Kirilloff, , and also dealt with injury woes last season. While it might be hard for Minnesota to fit Hernandez on their roster as things stand, the club could attempt to clear roster space by shopping fellow utility player or even simply option , who figured to serve as a right-handed bat off the clubs bench this year, to Triple-A to open the season. George Bell Jersey