Red Sox's Chances With Projected $71 Million All-Star May Have Gone Up

The Red Sox may have less competition for the All-Star slugger than expected

Apr 28, 2024; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; A hat and glove of an Los Angeles Dodgers player durng a game against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images / John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images

The Boston Red Sox certainly are looking for a big bat to replace Tyler O'Neill from the right side of the plate.

He left the team in free agency and signed with the Baltimore Orioles this offseason. The Red Sox desperately need to add one or two righties to help balance out the lineup and Teoscar Hernández is someone who has been brought up a lot.

Hernández spent the 2024 season with the Los Angeles Dodgers and won a World Series. He's now one of the best players available on the open market and there has been rumblings that he wants to return to Los Angeles even though the Red Sox have been linked to him.

While this is the case, The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal reported that the Dodgers are exploring other options at this point.

"As negotiations with free-agent outfielder Teoscar Hernández remain at an impasse, the World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers are exploring a number of intriguing right-handed hitting alternatives," Rosenthal said. "Hernández, 32, is seeking a three-year deal between $66 million and $72 million, according to a person briefed on the negotiations. The contract length does not appear to be a point of contention between the parties. The issue is money.

"In their inquiries on other players, the Dodgers might simply be weighing the acquisition costs against the price of retaining Hernández, who repeatedly has said he wants to return. The club also might be lining up contingencies as a matter of due diligence in the event Hernández departs for the Toronto Blue Jays, Boston Red Sox, or some other interested club."

This could make things much easier for the Red Sox to sign the All-Star slugger. Los Angeles shouldn't be ruled out, but Boston seems to have a chance.

More MLB: Red Sox Should Focus On Pairing Garrett Crochet With $63 Million Star