Well, Marco Hernandez wasn’t a free agent for long.
In a somewhat surprising move, Hernandez on Monday was one of just two arbitration-eligible/pre-arbitration players who were not tendered a contract by the Boston Red Sox, the other being recently-claimed reliever Josh Osich. In turn, both players became free agents.
But just a day later, the Red Sox and Hernandez agreed on a split deal — which means his salary will be different based on if he’s playing in the majors or minors.
The #RedSox today signed INF Marco Hernández and LHP Josh Osich to one-year contracts through the 2020 season.
The club’s 40-man roster is now at 36.
— Red Sox (@RedSox) December 4, 2019
Source: #RedSox in agreement with free-agent infielder Marco Hernandez. They non-tendered him on Monday.
— Robert Murray (@ByRobertMurray) December 4, 2019
Source confirms: Red Sox in agreement to re-sign Marco Hernandez. It's a split deal and Hernandez will be on the 40-man roster. $650k base in majors.
— Chris Cotillo (@ChrisCotillo) December 4, 2019
After injuries wiped out his 2018 campaign and most of 2017, Hernandez blossomed early in 2019, hitting .250 with seven doubles, a pair of homers and two RBIs by season’s end. However, most of his time was spent as a utility/platoon player. When he was more often in September with Boston out of playoff contention, Hernandez hit .169 over 19 games.
If the consistency levels out, though, Hernandez could be a useful asset for a Red Sox team that might be searching for a utility player off the bench should Brock Holt, now a free agent, sign elsewhere this offseason.
