Report: Red Sox target Teoscar Hernandez signs with Dodgers
One of the biggest bats on the free agent market is off the board, as outfielder Teoscar Hernandez has reportedly signed a one-year, $23.5 million deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The deal was first reported by ESPN’s Jeff Passan, who also reported that $8.5 million of the deal will be deferred and paid out between 2030-39.
Hernandez’s decision is a blow to the Red Sox, who reportedly pursued the right-handed slugger and could have used his power in the middle of the lineup. The former Seattle Mariner is coming off a season in which he batted .258 with 26 home runs and 96 RBI, and prior to that he enjoyed a successful six-year run in Toronto during which he routinely tormented Boston.
In 76 career games against the Red Sox he’s batted .311 with 22 home runs and a .981 OPS, all his best marks against any team he’s played more than 15 times.
With Hernandez off the board Boston is expected to continue pursuing other right-handed bats either through free agency or trade. Among the options are a reunion with outfielder Adam Duvall or designated hitter Justin Turner, both of whom remain available.
As for the Dodgers, Hernandez becomes the latest addition in what has proven to be a historic offseason. Los Angeles has committed well over $1 billion in free agent signings between two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani and top pitchers Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Tyler Glasnow, and now Hernandez joins a lineup that also features Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman and Ohtani, among other standouts.