BOSTON — The Boston Red Sox are reportedly pursuing free-agent outfielder Teoscar Hernandez to give them a much-needed right-handed bat in the lineup. But Boston is not alone in their quest to sign Hernandez, who is fresh off winning a World Series with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The Red Sox and the Baltimore Orioles are interested in adding Hernandez this winter, according to Jon Morosi of MLB Network. The Dodgers are also interested in retaining his services, and extended the 32-year-old Hernandez a qualifying offer earlier this week. That would land the Dodgers a draft pick should Hernandez sign elsewhere.
Who is Teoscar Hernandez?
The Red Sox know plenty about Hernandez from his six years in Toronto with the Blue Jays. He’s got a great swing for Fenway Park, where he’s slashed .282/.344/.606 with 14 home runs over 45 career games.
Hernandez is coming off a strong season in Los Angeles where he made his second All-Star team and slashed .272/.339/.501 with 33 homers, 32 doubles, and 99 RBI over 154 games, good for a 4.3 WAR. He went on to hit .250 with three homers, 12 RBI, and eight runs scored over 16 postseason games on Los Angeles’ march to a World Series title. Hernandez clubbed a two-run double in the fifth inning of Game 5 to tie the score at 5-5 in Los Angeles’ eventual series-clinching victory.
He does strike out a lot, whiffing 188 times in 2024. That was actually an improvement from 2023, when he struck out a career-high 211 times over 160 games for the Seattle Mariners.
Hernandez is a .263 hitter for his career, averaging 32 homers, 32 doubles, and 96 RBI over a 162-game season.
How much would Hernandez cost the Red Sox?
The Red Sox were interested in Hernandez last offseason and offered him a two-year, $28 million contract, which he declined to sign a one-year, $23.5 million deal with the Dodgers. After and All-Star season that ended with a title, Hernandez will likely cash in with this winter. He’s expected to sign a three-year deal which could be worth $70 million.
The Red Sox can certainly afford that, and they’ll need a new right-handed, power-hitting outfielder if Tyler O’Neill signs elsewhere. Boston did not give O’Neill a qualifying offer ahead of the Nov. 4 deadline.
Hernandez would help Boston with its struggles against lefties, which was a huge issue throughout the 2024 season. He slashed .290/.357/.574 against lefties overall last year, and he hit .323 with 13 of his homers against lefty starters.
The Boston lineup is littered with lefties at the moment, headlined by Rafael Devers, Triston Casas, Jarren Duran, and Wilyer Abreu. Top prospects Roman Anthony, Marcelo Mayer, and Kyle Teel are also left-handed hitters.
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