Red Sox Urged To Sign Projected $75 Million Dodgers Superstar By Insider
The Major League Baseball general managers' meetings will kick off on Monday, and Craig Breslow of the Boston Red Sox has plenty of work ahead of him.
After an 81-81 season, the Red Sox can surge ahead into playoff position in 2025, but not without some crucial roster augmentations. Among the improvements required: a right-handed power hitter, a top-level starting pitcher, and at least one high-leverage reliever.
Taking care of the first of those needs will be essential in giving the Red Sox a more well-rounded offense. And if you're looking for a right-handed bat to take your team to the next level, perhaps the best place to start the search is the roster of the team that just won it all: the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Dodgers outfield slugger Teoscar Hernández, who the Red Sox unsuccessfully pursued last winter, is getting set to hit the market again after a fantastic season. On Sunday, Christopher Smith of MassLive urged the Red Sox to pursue Hernández with more gusto this time around.
"Hernández, who turned 32 on Oct. 15, is a free agent again this offseason and said he would like to return to LA where he posted a .840 OPS, 33 homers, 32 doubles, two triples, 99 RBIs and 84 runs in 154 games during the regular season for the Dodgers," Smith said.
"That said, the Red Sox should make another run at signing Hernández this winter."
Adding Hernández would be a huge boost to the Red Sox lineup. He had more home runs than any Boston hitter this season (in a tougher park to hit them), posted a career-high 295 total bases, and clearly plays his most passionate baseball in the middle of a pennant race.
All that said, it feels as though Boston had their shot at Hernández last winter, and they whiffed. Adding him now, when he's a year older, is demanding far more money, may have just had the best season he'll ever experience, and doesn't want to leave L.A.? Seems pretty fraught with risks.
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