Red Sox lose out on free agent Teoscar Hernandez, were reportedly never close to signing him

Red Sox

“They weren’t close at all.”

Cross off another right-handed hitter the Red Sox were reportedly interested in signing, but whiffed on.

Teoscar Hernandez returned to the Los Angeles Dodgers on a three-year, $66 million contract on Friday, according to ESPN’s Jeff Passan. Boston had been linked to Hernandez this winter.

The latest rumor between the Red Sox and the 32-year-old emerged earlier this month from MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand, who reported that the club “intended to pursue” Hernandez if they didn’t sign Juan Soto. Soto landed with the New York Mets on Dec. 8, inking a historic 15-year, $765 million deal.

However, it turns out that Boston and Hernandez were never close to an agreement. Both Underdog Fantasy’s Jared Carrabis and MassLive’s Chris Cotillo reported this.

“Red Sox weren’t even remotely close to getting something done here,” Carrabis shared on X.

Shortly after, Cotillo corroborated the report on X, as well.

“Asked a source if the Red Sox came close on Teoscar Hernandez and the answer was a simple one: ‘No.’”

Cotillo expounded on the report, noting that the Red Sox never seriously pursued the player.

“They never really pushed here,” he posted. “They were lukewarm, at best, throughout the process. … They weren’t close at all.”

Not really. They never really pushed here. They were lukewarm, at best, throughout the process.

The idea they put out, for kicks, the whole “look how close we got” narrative is always dumb/untrue but in this case, they weren’t close at all https://t.co/dE3TOzUtJe

— Chris Cotillo (@ChrisCotillo) December 28, 2024

2024 marks the second straight offseason in which Boston was reportedly interested in adding Hernandez. Last year, the Red Sox offered him a contract.

However, according to Hernandez himself, Boston’s final offer to him was for two years and $28 million. He turned that down and instead signed with Los Angeles for one year, $23.5 million. Hernandez was part of the Dodgers’ 2024 World Series-winning roster.

Earlier this year, Hernandez spoke with WEEI’s Rob Bradford about the Red Sox’ pursuit of him in free agency. Hernandez explained how he thought he was going to end up in Boston, but the organization’s offer was not what he was looking for.

“Obviously, I was not gonna go and spend my free agency trying to get a bad deal,” Hernandez said when asked if he would have accepted a three-year deal from Boston. “Because at the end of the day, I love the Red Sox. The Red Sox was one of my favorite teams. And I love playing in (Fenway Park). … Honestly at the end, I thought they were gonna make it. But unfortunately, they said they have to wait because they have to make some moves and all that stuff. I couldn’t wait any longer.”

While the Red Sox submitted contract parameters last time around, it’s unclear whether the club offered Hernandez a deal this year.

Despite missing out on Hernandez once again, several right-handed hitters remain on the market. Infielder Alex Bregman and outfielder Anthony Santander are two names Boston has been linked to this winter.

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