Dodgers' Teoscar Hernández Details Why He Didn't Sign With Red Sox in Free Agency
![Jul 9, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Teoscar Hernández (37) in action against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. Jul 9, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Teoscar Hernández (37) in action against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park.](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,w_4812,h_2706,x_0,y_109/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ImagnImages/mmsport/si/01j33v0p5m6dhka6asvn.jpg)
On Jan. 12, outfielder Teoscar Hernández inked a one-year, $23.5 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers. The pact proved savvy on both sides, as the Dodgers invested in Hernández returning to his All-Star form while Hernández invested in playing for baseball's most talented team.
So far, Hernández's decision has paid off. The ninth-year slugger made the All-Star team, won the Home Run Derby, and helped Los Angeles build a seven-game lead in the NL West entering the All-Star break.
However, his free agency almost unfolded differently, as he discussed in a brief hit for the podcast Baseball Isn't Boring.
"It was two years, $28 (million)," Hernández said of the Boston Red Sox's offer to him this offseason. "I was not going to go and spend my free agency trying to get a bad deal."
BIB on the Go: Teoscar Hernandez Details Why He DIdn't Land In Boston
— Baseball Isn’t Boring (@BBisntBoring) July 18, 2024
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The Red Sox, who have spent most of the last decade curbing their formerly robust spending, are currently holding on to the American League's final wild-card spot.
"At the end of the day, I love the Red Sox and it was one of my favorite teams," Hernández said. "At the end of the day I have to make what is best for me and my career and my family."
The Dodgers and Boston are scheduled to meet in a three-game series this weekend.