Kiké Hernández: Chaim Bloom promised that the Red Sox would ‘be way better next year’

Image courtesy of Billie Weiss // Boston Red Sox

The Red Sox made a surprise announcement on Sunday night in extending versatile utility man Kiké Hernández. Boston would ink Hernández to a one-year, $10 million deal that will keep him for the 2023 season.

After the deal was announced, Hernández told reporters an interesting nugget from his negotiations with Bloom.

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Center fielder Kiké Hernandez and the Boston Red Sox are in agreement on a one-year, $10 million contract extension that will keep him in Boston for the 2023 season, sources familiar with the deal tell ESPN. News story free at ESPN:

es.pnRed Sox sign OF Hernandez to 1-year extensionEnrique Hernández and the Red Sox agreed on a one-year contract extension Tuesday. Sources told ESPN that the deal is worth $10 million.

“He knows where I stand,” Hernández told reporters at Tropicana Field. “He knows that the most important thing for me is not just the opportunity to play every day, but how much it means for me to play every day for a winning team. I’m not going to say he promised me — but he promised me that we’re going to be way better next year.”

The deal for Hernández allows him to rebuild his value following an injury plagued 2022 season. His deal is only worth $10 million with no additional incentives in the deal.

If Bloom is serious on the Red Sox being “way better next year,” hopefully that involves re-signing Xander Bogaerts, adding to the rotation and finding closer.

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