As the Yankees continue to looking for infield help, the team has shown interest in Enrique Hernandez and Yoan Moncada, the New York Post’s Mark W. Sanchez reports. Moncada may or may not still be on the Yankees’ radar, as Sanchez writes that the club asked for Moncada’s medicals “early in the offseason,” but a source says “the Yankees have [since] not re-engaged” on the former White Sox third baseman.
This isn’t the first time that the Yankees have been linked to Hernandez, as New York was a finalist for the veteran utilityman’s services when he was a free agent last winter. Hernandez instead re-signed with the Dodgers to a one-year, $4MM deal, and the decision paid off in the form of another championship ring. The Yankees got a direct look at Hernandez during the postseason, when he hit .278/.316/.389 over 20 plate appearances during the Dodgers’ five-game triumph over the Bronx Bombers in the World Series.
There hasn’t been any public buzz about Hernandez’s free agent market this offseason, which could due to the perception (as Sanchez notes) that a reunion with the Dodgers is inevitable. Los Angeles could be waiting until Spring Training opens and roster space can be created when players are shifted to the 60-day injured list, but until that happens, another team could theoretically able to swoop in and make Hernandez a more attractive offer.
For instance, New York could offer Hernandez more playing time than he might find on the crowded L.A. roster. The right-handed hitting Hernandez could complement Jazz Chisholm Jr. or Cody Bellinger (both left-handed bats) on the infield or in center field, or complement the switch-hitting Jasson Dominguez in left field. Hernandez’s versatility gives the Yankees even more flexibility in figuring out Chisholm’s eventual position at either second base or third base, and in deciding how DJ LeMahieu, Oswaldo Cabrera, and Oswald Peraza all fit into the roster picture.
Hernandez’s offense has tended to ebb and flow over the course of his 11-year MLB career, balancing out at a .238/.308/.405 slash line and 93 wRC+ over 3896 career PA. Come October, however, Hernandez has surged to hit .278/.353/.522 in 259 postseason PA with the Dodgers and Red Sox, earning the 33-year-old a reputation as a big-game player. This kind of production from an unheralded spot on the roster could be just what the Yankees need to take that final step towards another title after falling short to Los Angeles this past season.
Moncada hasn’t played second base since the 2018 season, so he would more directly slot into the third base mix if he indeed ended up joining the Yankees. The Mariners, Cubs, and Blue Jays are among the clubs who have also been linked to Moncada’s services this offseason, as he begins a new chapter in his career after the White Sox declined their $25MM club option on the infielder last fall.
Chicago’s decision came as no surprise given how Moncada played in only 12 games in 2024 due to a left adductor strain, though that total could’ve been bumped up by a few games had the White Sox not sparingly used Moncada after he was activated from the 60-day injured list in mid-September. It marked a tough end to an up-and-down eight-season run for Moncada on the South Side, as he hit .254/.332/.425 over 3122 PA in a White Sox uniform. Much more was expected given Moncada’s past status as an elite prospect, and the five-year, $70MM extension he signed with the Sox prior to the 2020 season.
Now looking to rebuild his value after a few injury-marred seasons, Moncada would be stepping into a high-pressure situation even as a part-time player on a Yankees team expected to win now. Still, the amount of interest Moncada has received indicates that multiple teams think he has change-of-scenery potential once removed from what became an increasingly dismal situation in Chicago.
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