How Dodgers Could Distrupt Red Sox’s Quest To Improve Lineup

The Los Angeles Dodgers are preparing a backup plan for the potential departure of outfielder Teoscar Hernández, which could interfere with Boston Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow’s offseason blueprint.

Breslow recognized Boston’s need to add a right-handed bat to the lineup, both through his words and the team’s ties to free-agent options, including Hernández.

But Los Angeles, fresh off a World Series victory and loaded with a roster featuring Shohei Ohtani, Freddie Freeman and Mookie Betts, isn’t willing to let go of the rope. The Dodgers are preparing to lose Hernández, but have already begun looking into right-hand hitting replacements, per The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal, just in case.

Hernández, this past season’s Home Run Derby champion, put together a tremendous first season with the Dodgers by hitting .272 with a career-high 33 home runs and 99 RBIs. The two-time All-Star isn’t going to command a Juan Soto-priced contract but Hernández does have enough of a demand to seek a multi-year deal. He’s currently in search of signing a three-year deal between $66 million and $72 million, according to Rosenthal.

If Hernández does bid farewell to the Dodgers, it could force a domino effect that might lead Los Angeles to compete with the Red Sox for a replacement. Names such as Alex Bregman, Nolan Arenado and Randal Grichuk have surfaced in connection to Boston and could become targets for the Dodgers in the coming weeks.

Los Angeles is well-equipped to remain the favorite in the National League and hasn’t shown signs of hitting the brakes on its spending habits. The team added left-handed pitcher Blake Snell — who caught Boston’s interest — to a five-year, $182 million deal in free agency and is rumored to be among the franchises looking to secure a meeting with 23-year-old Japanese pitcher Roski Sasaki.

Boston could take this development as a sign to get urgent in signing or trading for a right-handed bat before the itchy-spending Dodgers get involved. The Red Sox have made strides by adding Aroldis Chapman to their bullpen and Garrett Crochet to their rotation but like Los Angeles, Boston needs to execute a backup plan after losing its 2024 home run leader to free agency — Tyler O’Neill signed with the Baltimore Orioles.

The Red Sox are left-handed heavy with Rafael Devers, Jarren Duran, Wilyer Abreu, Triston Casas and Masataka Yoshida filling up the lineup. That still leaves a void to be filled with O’Neill’s 31-home run power now crossing division-rival lines with Baltimore and while Hernández isn’t the only solution, that shouldn’t prompt Breslow and the front office to get too comfortable and overly patient.

The Dodgers showed their true colors last offseason and the Snell signing only demonstrated that they’re willing to undergo a bidding war — if necessary — with anyone and everyone in the league.