Outfielder Teoscar Hernandez has helped the Los Angeles Dodgers get to the doorstep of the 2024 World Series. But the two-time All-Star slugger will again become a free agent whenever LA’s postseason run finishes. Could he prefer signing with the Boston Red Sox?
Hernandez joined WEEI’s Rob Bradford during a recent episode of the “Baseball Isn’t Boring” podcast. He shared what he loves about playing at Fenway Park.
“Everything about that field is good,” Hernandez said. “And I don’t think it’s only me. I’m not the player who is saying that about Fenway. The atmosphere over there is really good. The fans love the team. They go to the ballpark. And they support the team. For me, that’s a big thing when you have a good fan base. But it’s been great here. Fans love this team. They go everywhere and they support their players. It’s going to be a little hard for me in the next free agency. It’s going to be fun, and obviously I’m going to try and make the best decision for me and my family.”
He signed a one-year, $23.5 million deal last winter to join the Dodgers. The right-handed slugger responded with a career year. He hit .272/.339/.501 with 33 home runs, 32 doubles, 99 RBI and 84 runs scored in 154 games.
The Red Sox Need a Slugger Like Teoscar Hernandez
One thing Boston needs to address this winter is balancing the lineup. They’re very left-handed, and that gets even worse if right-handed slugger Tyler O’Neill signs elsewhere. MLB.com’s Ian Browne discussed five questions the Red Sox must answer this offseason. Balancing the lineup was one of them. Among players he felt would “fit in nicely” include Hernandez, third baseman Alex Bregman and shortstop Willy Adames.
The Red Sox were among the finalists for Hernandez before he signed with Los Angeles last winter. He confirmed in July that Boston offered him a two-year, $28 million deal. Hernandez hoped to get a third year, but it didn’t materialize before deciding he didn’t want to be on the open market any longer.
“Obviously, I was not gonna go spend my free agency trying to get a bad deal because at the end of the day, I love the Red Sox. It was one of my favorite teams,” Hernandez told Bradford. “And I love playing there (Fenway Park), but at the end of the day, I have to make what is best for me, and my career and my family.”
Spotrac projects Hernandez will get a three-year, $71 million deal in free agency. If the Red Sox come in with a strong offer this winter, it sounds like they could have the upper hand.
Teoscar Hernandez Could Thrive at Fenway Park
The 2024 season was the first time Hernandez played for a National League team. His first eight big-league seasons were all in the American League. Six of them were with the Toronto Blue Jays. Spending that much time in the AL East allowed him plenty of opportunity to play at Fenway Park and form this strong opinion he’s shared multiple times.
Hernandez’s numbers also show that he loves playing in Beantown.
He’s collected at least 100 plate appearances in seven different stadiums since debuting in 2016. Hernandez’s .950 OPS at Fenway Park is the highest within that group. He’s hit .282/.344/.606 across 189 plate appearances in Boston. That includes 14 homers, nine doubles, two triples, 44 RBI and 36 runs scored.
Those numbers make it easy to see why he loves playing there and would be open to having it be his home ballpark for the foreseeable future.
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Red Sox Might Be Top Option for Projected $71 Million 2-Time All-Star Slugger