Report: Red Sox free agent target re-signs with Dodgers
The Red Sox have made it clear they’re seeking a right-handed bat, and one of the best available is reportedly off the market.
According to multiple reports, top free agent outfielder Teoscar Hernandez is re-signing with the Los Angeles Dodgers. The deal is reportedly for three years, $66 million and includes a fourth-year option worth an additional $15 million.
Yancen Pujols and Moises Fabian were first to report the news.
Hernandez joined the Dodgers on a one-year deal last winter and turned in the best season of his career. The 32-year-old hit a career-high 33 home runs with a .272 batting average, 99 RBI and an .840 OPS, slotting into the heart of the Dodgers’ high-powered lineup while playing an instrumental role in leading the club to a World Series title.
Now, by returning to Chavez Ravine, Hernandez will continue lining up alongside Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman as the Dodgers look to extend their run of dominance into the second half of the decade.
Though the Dodgers were always considered a likely long-term landing spot, Hernandez was also frequently linked to the Red Sox and would have been a perfect fit for the club’s needs. Boston’s lineup currently tilts heavily left-handed, and while the club has made numerous moves to shore up its pitching staff, the Red Sox have yet to make any significant additions to their lineup.
With Hernandez off the board, free agent infielder Alex Bregman now stands as the best available right-handed bat on the free agent marketplace.