There was a lot that went on behind the scenes before the Boston Red Sox landed Justin Turner in free agency, which Kiké Hernández detailed.
Hernández, who previously spent six seasons with Turner on the Los Angeles Dodgers, played a key role in prying the veteran bat away from the free-agency market.
And Hernández made two things clear when revealing what went into the recruitment process. One, it wasn’t a cakewalk that required just a single phone call. And two, Hernández is a firm believer in the clubhouse impact Turner will deliver to the Red Sox in 2023.
“I felt like a college recruiter,” Hernández said, per MLB Network video. “I did my best effort but it wasn’t just an eye-wash effort. I put every bit of effort into it. It was an everyday job it felt like. But that’s how much this guy means to me. But I did it not knowingly, not just because of what he means to me, but I know what he meant to that clubhouse in LA. And I know what he can do to a clubhouse.”
If anyone can vouch for Turner, it’d be Hernández. During their first run as teammates in Los Angeles, the two made three World Series appearances with one successful in 2020.
Hernández emphasized the need to add leadership to Boston’s clubhouse following the loss of former longtime shortstop Xander Bogaerts. He noted how the Red Sox will be tasked with re-establishing their identity with newcomers entering the club for the upcoming campaign.
“Once Bogey left, and seeing how the roster was going to be constructed, I knew that the team was gonna be looking a lot different than it did in the past,” Hernández said. “We need to find our identity as a team and this is a great guy to come in that’s gonna fit in great and is gonna help me and Trevor (Story) with the leadership voices. It’s gonna help us establish ourselves, the identity of the club and help us establish a winning culture back again in Boston.”
With the Dodgers last season, Turner batted .289/.366/.466 with 13 home runs and 86 RBIs. And despite coming off his shortest season (128 games) in the last four years — besides the pandemic-impacted 2020 season — Hernández believes that he won’t be the only one to benefit from Turner’s presence.
“I knew that JT wasn’t only a guy that me myself was gonna benefit from having him on my side again,” Hernández said. “But I know that the 25 other guys on that roster were gonna benefit from having him on the side as well and I knew he was a perfect fit for this club.”
