Red Sox reportedly interested in Teoscar Hernández. Here’s how it could impact their roster
The Red Sox have had a quiet offseason to this point, but a possible move for Hernández could get the ball rolling.
The Red Sox have already added one right-handed hitting outfielder so far this offseason, but it appears they’re looking to add another.
Boston is interested in signing veteran outfielder Teoscar Hernández, The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal reported. The report didn’t indicate how serious the Red Sox’ interest is or if the two sides have had legitimate contract discussions.
Hernández entered the offseason as arguably one of the top hitters in a relatively lackluster free-agent market for position players. The 31-year-old is coming off a down season, at least for his standards, at the plate in his first year with the Mariners. He slashed .258/.305/.435, posting his worst slugging percentage and OPS since his first season in the majors.
However, Hernández has proven to be a reliable power hitter for much of his career. He still hit 26 homers last year, marking the fourth straight year he’s hit at least 25 homers in a season outside of 2020. He also posted 93 RBIs with the Mariners.
Prior to joining the Mariners in 2023, Hernández emerged as one of the outfielders in the American League during his time with the Blue Jays. In his final four seasons in Toronto, Hernández slashed .270/.326/.507 with 99 homers, 292 RBIs, and a 125 OPS+ over 449 games.
The Red Sox were no strangers to how well Hernández hit the ball during that span, especially in games at Fenway Park. He’s slashed .282/.344/.606 with 14 homers and 44 RBIs in just 45 career games at America’s Most Beloved Ballpark.
Boston’s interest in adding another outfielder might be peculiar. It already has six outfielders on its 40-man roster after trading for Tyler O’Neill earlier in the month, possibly having everyday options in O’Neill and Masataka Yoshida.
But the Red Sox still have a notable need for right-handed hitting. Their two best right-handed hitters from 2023 – Justin Turner and Adam Duvall – are currently free agents and signing Hernández would give them positional flexibility. He’s mostly played right field the last two seasons, which could make him an Alex Verdugo replacement and slot O’Neill as their starting center fielder with Yoshida in left field. But the Red Sox could opt to give Yoshida more time as their designated hitter, which would open up more playing time for Jarren Duran or Wilyer Abreu in left field.
Additionally, signing Hernández could allow the Red Sox to play Ceddanne Rafaela more at second base. Rafaela, who’s ranked as one of the Red Sox’ top prospects, mostly played center field during his brief stint in the majors in September, but he spent a considerable amount of time in the middle infield spots in the minors.
The Red Sox could also get really creative if they sign Hernández. As they still haven’t made any additions to their starting rotation this offseason, they could possibly include at least one of the young outfielders (Abreu, Duran, Rafaela) in a trade package to acquire a starting pitcher.
Obviously, a lot of dominoes still have to fall as much of the baseball world waited on the free-agent decisions of Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto, with the latter joining the former on the Dodgers on Thursday. But a possible deal for Hernández could be the first of a few dominoes for the Red Sox this offseason.
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