Red Sox $71 Million Free-Agent Target Named No. 1 Righty Slugger Available

Can Boston bring this big bat to town?

Sep 20, 2019; St. Petersburg, FL, USA; A detail view of Boston Red Sox hats and gloves at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-Imagn Images / Kim Klement-Imagn Images

The question for the Boston Red Sox is not whether they will go after a right-handed hitter in free agency, but rather, which one?

If there was one clear flaw with the Red Sox's 2024 lineup, it was the overreliance on left-handed bats. The 81-81 Red Sox routinely made the best righty pitchers in the game look average, but struggled to beat lefties no matter how mediocre their season stats were coming into the game.

Most of the Red Sox's top prospects also bat lefty, so something has to give. To balance out the lineup in 2025, at least one powerful righty has to be inserted into the mix.

The Red Sox could go after one of their own, 2024 team home run leader Tyler O'Neill. But there is one player in O'Neill's mold who is likely an even better fit, and NBC Sports Boston's Justin Leger agrees.

Leger named Los Angeles Dodgers free-agent slugger Teoscar Hernández the number-one right-handed bat on the market this upcoming winter on Monday.

"Hernandez signed a one-year "prove it" deal with the Dodgers last offseason, and "prove it" he did," said. "He bounced back after a rough season in Seattle with a career-high 33 homers. His success has continued in the postseason, where he belted two clutch homers including a grand slam in the NLDS against the San Diego Padres."

"Hernandez feasts on left-handed pitching, making him an appealing option for a Red Sox club that struggled mightily against southpaws throughout 2024."

It's hard to imagine a better fit than Hernández, who celebrates his 32nd birthday on Tuesday. He had 33 home runs, more than anyone on the Red Sox, including 11 longballs and a .931 OPS against lefties. He did more than fine with righties on the mound, too, putting up an .808 OPS.

Hernández is currently projected for a three-year, $71 million deal by Spotrac, and the Red Sox have to be willing to say "yes" to that price tag immediately. It's been reported that Boston offered Hernández just two years and $28 million last winter, prompting him to take the Dodgers' one-year, $23 million offer instead.

Clearly, there's mutual interest between the two sides. Clearly, Hernández fits everything the Red Sox are looking for. But Boston will still have to be aggressive to push this thing across the finish line. A hitter like Hernández always has a robust market.

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