Beloved Dodgers $71 Million Superstar Is 'Perfect Fit' For Red Sox, Per Insider

Has Boston found its ideal free-agent target?

Sep 3, 2024; Anaheim, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers batting helmets sit in their cubbies for game against the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

There's no time to play games this winter. The Boston Red Sox need to identify who they want and then go out and pay them.

Coming off an 81-81 season, the Red Sox are famished for playoff baseball. They've watched the action in October from their couches for three straight seasons, and that's because although there's been talent on the roster, the Red Sox have had fatal flaws that couldn't be overcome.

Among the most obvious needs for the Red Sox is a right-handed power bat, given the lineup's over-reliance on lefties. They could simply look to lock up outfielder Tyler O'Neill, who was the team home run leader in 2024, but what if there is a better version of O'Neill awaiting the Red Sox who is still playing in the World Series?

Red Sox insider Ian Browne of MLB.com strongly hinted Monday that the Red Sox were an ideal destination for Los Angeles Dodgers slugger Teoscar Hernández, who they also tried to sway to come to Boston last winter after he had a down year with the Seattle Mariners.

"Teoscar Hernández, the right-handed-hitting outfielder the Red Sox courted last year, will again be a free agent," Browne said. "Particularly if O’Neill departs as a free agent, Hernández would be a perfect fit in Boston."

Hernández, 32, is driving his stock through the roof with his All-Star season in Los Angeles. Not only did he have a career-high 33 home runs with an .840 OPS in the regular season, but he's had some massive home runs in the playoffs as well.

Couple that with Hernández's Home Run Derby win and endearing friendship with Shohei Ohtani, and you'd be hard-pressed to find a Dodgers fan who doesn't want the slugger to stay in L.A. But the Dodgers' spending priorities may be more focused on pitching, and that's assuming they don't get heavily involved in the Juan Soto sweepstakes.

If the Red Sox are willing to offer a significant amount more than the two years, $28 million they reportedly offered Hernández last season, they have every opportunity to convince him they should be his next team. Adding the veteran, who has always loved hitting at Fenway Park, could make this Boston lineup truly scary.

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