Free agent Teoscar Hernández simply gained a World Sequence and is now drawing curiosity within the early days of the offseason. The Pink Sox and Orioles have an interest within the outfielder, studies Jon Morosi of MLB Community on X. The Dodgers and Hernández even have mutual curiosity in a reunion, per Russell Dorsey of Yahoo Sports activities.
Hernández, 32, was a free agent a yr in the past and obtained curiosity from the Pink Sox at the moment. Chris Cotillo of MassLive (X hyperlink) reported that the Sox supplied him $28MM over a two-year deal, numbers that have been later confirmed by the participant himself when talking to Rob Bradford of WEEI and the Baseball Isn’t Boring Podcast.
He turned down that provide and as an alternative took a barely smaller assure on a one-year pact with the Dodgers. That deal paid him $23.5MM with some deferrals, however maybe most significantly, allowed him to return to free company after hopefully having a bounceback yr.
That wager on himself appears to be like like it’ll repay properly. From 2020 to 2022, he slashed .283/.333/.519 for the Blue Jays, manufacturing that led to a 132 wRC+. His protection wasn’t nice however he did steal 24 bases in that stretch and the offense was simple. He was traded to the Mariners previous to 2023 and had a down yr on the plate, hitting .258/.305/.435 for a 106 wRC+. With that weak platform yr, his free agent market was pretty tepid, together with the aforementioned provide from Boston.
However his yr with Los Angeles might hardly have gone significantly better, as he hit .272/.339/.501 for a 134 wRC+, proper again to his earlier type. His defensive metrics nonetheless weren’t nice however he swiped one other 12 luggage. He bought into 16 playoff video games and hit .250/.352/.417 for a 119 wRC+. On MLBTR’s High 50 Free Brokers put up, we predicted that he might safe a three-year, $60MM deal this time round.
Whether or not he can get that deal or not, the Sox would virtually definitely have to extend their provide from a yr in the past. If they’re keen to take action, his right-handed swing would match properly on a roster with loads of left-handed bats. Rafael Devers, Triston Casas, Masataka Yoshida, Jarren Duran and Wilyer Abreu all hit from the left facet, as do prospects Kyle Teel, Marcelo Mayer and Roman Anthony.
Final yr, the Sox complemented their lefty outfielders by having Tyler O’Neill, who had an excellent season in a particular approach. He was injured just a few instances, struck out a bunch and did most of his harm in opposition to lefties, however nonetheless had a robust season total. He hit 31 dwelling runs in 113 video games for a .241/.336/.511 slash line and 131 wRC+, all that regardless of a 33.6% strikeout price and a meager 91 wRC+ in opposition to righties.
Hernández needs to be ranked a bit above O’Neill as he has a slight edge in most of these areas. His 28.8% strikeout price in 2024 was excessive however not as unhealthy as O’Neill’s. He does have platoon splits, although to not the identical extent as O’Neill. Hernández has a 140/113 wRC+ break up in his profession and was at 154/126 in 2024. He’s additionally way more sturdy, having performed no less than 125 video games in every of the previous six full seasons, whereas O’Neill has solely hit that quantity as soon as in his profession.
Both might work because the wanted righty for Boston. Hernández would arguably be higher however would additionally seemingly price extra. O’Neill was predicted by MLBTR for a three-year deal similar to Hernández however with a lesser assure of $42MM. Nonetheless, Hernández obtained a qualifying provide from the Dodgers and is subsequently tied to draft choose forfeiture, whereas O’Neill just isn’t. Per Pete Abraham of the Boston Globe on X, the Sox stay engaged with O’Neill’s camp and will doubtlessly carry him again.
Both ought to match within the membership’s finances. RosterResource initiatives the membership for a payroll of $136MM proper now, greater than $50MM beneath the place they have been in 2024. They’re about $70MM beneath the aggressive steadiness tax line. They’ve wants on the pitching workers however might definitely spend on an outfielder if they need.
For the Orioles, they’re a logical match for related causes. Their lineup options lefties Gunnar Henderson, Ryan O’Hearn, Cedric Mullins, Colton Cowser, Heston Kjerstad and Jackson Holliday. Prospects Samuel Basallo and Dylan Beavers are additionally lefty swingers. Their outfield simply misplaced switch-hitting outfielder Anthony Santander to free company, so Hernández might slot in as Santander’s alternative if the O’s don’t re-sign him.
Orioles normal supervisor Mike Elias lately recognized a right-handed hitting outfielder as an offseason goal, per Jake Rill of MLB.com. The massive query is how a lot spending capability the membership can have this winter. Up to now six years, they haven’t given a free agent a multi-year deal, with Craig Kimbrel’s $13MM assure on a one-year pact their largest expenditure.
For a lot of that point, they have been rebuilding after which the membership was up on the market. David Rubenstein took over possession formally simply because the 2024 season was getting began. It has been anticipated that the membership will get a bit extra aggressive and their commerce deadline habits gave some encouraging indicators in that regard. They took on notable cash to accumulate Zach Eflin and Seranthony Domínguez, but it surely’s nonetheless unknown precisely how far they plan to go this winter.
“Whether or not it’s free-agent spending or it’s help for my workers or the baseball group, I believe we’ve got every thing that we’d like financially to make the optimum selections for the long-term well being of the franchise. And a variety of that’s going to be in my judgment,” Elias stated this week. “However definitely, if we’ve got one thing that we need to do and we’d like monetary help for it, I’m exceedingly assured that that’s going to be there.”
Returning to the Dodgers can also be simple to see, particularly with the membership planning to maneuver Mookie Betts again to the infield subsequent yr. Meaning the projected outfield presently consists of Andy Pages, James Outman and utility guys like Tommy Edman and Chris Taylor. Whereas the Dodgers might simply match Hernández in there, they’ll most likely first see how issues play out with their reported curiosity in Juan Soto.
