The Red Sox’s apparent short-change offer ruined any chance of landing 2024 Home Run Derby champion Teoscar Hernandez last offseason, the right-handed slugger revealed this week.
Hernandez, who played in his second career MLB All-Star game on Tuesday in Texas, had been offered a contract to play in Beantown when he was a free agent over the winter but claimed a “bad deal” nudged him to Southern California with the Dodgers.
“It was two years, $28 [million],” Hernandez said of Boston’s offer in an interview with the “Baseball isn’t Boring” podcast on Thursday. “Obviously, I was not going to go and spend my free agency trying to get a bad deal. At the end of the day, I love the Red Sox. It was one of my favorite teams,” Hernández said. “And I love playing [at Fenway Park], but at the end of the day I have to make what is best for me, my career and my family.”
The 31-year-old outfielder ultimately signed a one-year, $23.5 million contract with the Dodgers in January, a move that has worked out quite well for both sides halfway through the season.
Hernandez has been excellent through three-plus months in Dodger blue, hitting .261/.327/.475 with 19 home runs and 62 RBIs in 95 games.
The nine-year MLB veteran will once again be able to test free agency after a near career year and a big payday from Los Angeles, something that Boston’s deal would not have made possible.
Hernandez said he also sought a third year from the Red Sox, which would’ve kept him in Boston through 2026, but the team balked.