Enrique Hernández is taken aback that there wasn’t more of a market for his services, and he thinks there might be something nefarious afoot.
Hernández was a free agent this offseason and re-signed with the Dodgers on a one-year deal worth $4 million.
He appeared on “Foul Territory” on Thursday, and claimed that not only was every interested team’s offer in the same range, but the offers also came around the same time.
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“I’m not going to say the C-word, but I think the C-word needs a capital C,” Hernández said, clearly implying collusion, as covered by CBS Sports. “The timing of the calls [from teams] was very similar. The numbers were pretty much the same throughout.”
Last season, Hernández appeared in 54 games, batting .262 with a .731 OPS.
He was of the belief that MLB franchises are all using the same algorithms to determine players’ value.
“I think the teams that are using these computer systems to project numbers, project salaries, they’re all using the same one and I think they all have the same password,” Hernández said. “So that’s how free agency is going, and it’s not just me.”
What Hernández is alleging has been a topic of conversation amongst baseball players for a number of years.
Several players, including Brad Brach, Mark Reynolds and Francisco Liriano, made similar claims in 2019.
Hernández referenced the crop of good players, which includes Blake Snell, Jordan Montgomery and J.D. Martinez, who remain free agents even after the start of Spring Training.
“There’s still a lot of really good quality baseball players – big leaguers that are more than capable of being everyday guys on a lot of teams – and the fact that they’re still out there, it’s a shame,” Hernández said. “… It was a very weird offseason and it still is for some guys. It doesn’t seem like things are picking up either for some of those guys, which is shameful.”