The Red Sox take on another outfielder whose market will soon “heat up”

Juan Soto has dominated this offseason as he patiently makes a decision regarding his next team. And, once Soto signs his huge contract, many other dominoes around MLB will begin to fall.

Among the most important of them is another outfielder, Teoscar Hernández. His slow start to free agency is likely a direct result of the Soto sweepstakes. As a high-end outfielder, Hernandez’s market is nearly identical to Soto’s.

As MassLive’s Chris Cotillo reported, the market for Hernandez is expected to “heat up” after Soto’s signing. The Red Sox, New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers are all reportedly involved.

It is therefore possible that immediately after the conclusion of the bidding war for Soto, Boston and New York will immediately re-engage in another free agent bidding war if the two fail to land the goose that lays the eggs of gold.

“Obviously, Hernandez is a very logical pivot for teams that don’t land Soto. He is expected to let things play out this way,” Cotillo wrote.

Hernandez’s one-year deal last season seemed to work out well, as the outfielder had a good season, won a World Series and generated a lot of buzz for himself that seemed to be lacking during his last run in free agency.

All three interested parties should be able to legitimately claim Hernandez in this free agency window.

The Red Sox showed interest in Hernandez last offseason and reportedly offered the slugger a two-year deal, but fell short of the value Hernandez was seeking. Still, the 32-year-old has expressed interest in Boston, and if the Red Sox ownership group is to be believed, the team is more willing to spend money this offseason.

The Dodgers, of course, signed Hernandez last season, and The Athletic reported mutual interest in the two sides combining on a longer-term deal to retain the key player.

And the Yankees reached the World Series last season, giving them an advantage in what they can present to Hernandez from a competitive standpoint as the Red Sox look to emerge from a tough few years. New York also has a better history of opening the wallet in recent offseasons than Boston.

If the Red Sox miss Soto, luring Hernandez to Boston would be a mutual solution. Hernandez is a right-hander who would likely fill the production hole left by Tyler O’Neill, who signed a deal with the Baltimore Orioles on Saturday.

It’s worth noting that last month, Jim Bodwen listed Hernandez and Anthony Santander as two players “more likely” to sign with the Red Sox than Soto. Separate reports on Saturday indicated that Boston had also contacted Santander.

Hernandez is hitting .272 in 2024 with 33 home runs and 99 RBIs. He would be a complementary piece in the middle of Boston’s lineup.