Dodgers Reportedly Showing Interest In Red Sox Free-Agent Target

Boston once again has to battle Los Angeles for a star player

Scott Neville | Dec 26, 2023

Dodgers Reportedly Showing Interest In Red Sox Free-Agent Target /

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The Los Angeles Dodgers have been the talk of Major League Baseball after spending over $1 billion this offseason, which included investing in Japanese superstars Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto -- two players the Boston Red Sox had some level of interest in.

Comparatively, Boston has spent exactly $1 million in free agency. The lowly Red Sox -- who are only seen as underdogs because they don't want to spend, not because they can't -- might have to go up against the budding super team once again.

"Dodgers are among the teams still monitoring outfielder Teoscar Hernández market, per sources," Francys Romero reported Monday. "They are not favorites to sign Hernandez but they can surprise."

Hernández has been heavily linked to the Red Sox in the aftermath of the Yamamoto signing and appears to be high on Boston's priority list despite their desperate need to improve the pitching staff.

In an offseason where the Dodgers have gone nuclear with spending, you never want to see them associated with any free agent linked to the Red Sox.

However, this report makes it seem as though Los Angeles is simply doing due diligence and appears unlikely to make the highest bid for the 31-year-old outfielder.

Interestingly, Hernández has started to follow Red Sox fan accounts and even liked a picture of himself photoshopped in a Red Sox uniform. This is the ultimate reading into the tea leaves season but his actions combined with recent reporting make it seem like a deal could be on the horizon.

As crazy as it sounds, I think the Red Sox have the edge over the Dodgers in this bidding war.

More MLB: Red Sox Reportedly Interested In Trading Young, Fan-Favorite Outfielders

Published Dec 26, 2023

SCOTT NEVILLE

Scott Neville covers the Boston Red Sox for Sports Illustrated's new page "Inside The Red Sox." Before starting "Inside The Red Sox", Neville attended Merrimack College, where he earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Communication and Media with a minor in Marketing. Neville spent all four years with Merrimack's radio station WMCK, where he grew as a radio/podcast host and producer. His propensity for being in front of a microphone eventually expanded to film, where he produced multiple short films alongside his then-roommate and current co-worker Stephen Mottram. On a journey that began as a way to receive easy credits via film classes, he received a call from "It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia" star Charlie Day. Day advised him to make a feature-length film, which he completed his senior year. While writing the film, Neville completed an internship for United Way as part of their NFL Partnership Program. Neville ran the blog for a team of interns and hosted an internet show called "United Way's NFL Partnership Series" where he interviewed NFL alumni. After college Neville wrote for SB Nation's "Over The Monster," a Red Sox sister site of the flagship brand. His work would eventually lead him to a job as a content producer with NESN, where he would cover all sports. After developing as a writer with the top regional network in the world, he was given the opportunity to join the Sports Illustrated Media Group in his current endeavor as the publisher of "Inside The Red Sox." The successful launch and quick rise of "Inside The Red Sox" led to Neville joining the Baseball Essential ownership group, a national baseball site under SIMG. Follow him on Twitter: @ScottNeville46 Email: nevilles@merrimack.edu