The Boston Red Sox are a completely different team than they were at this time last year, but a lot of the storylines remain the same.

Will Boston trade an outfielder? Will Alex Bregman sign with the Red Sox? And if he does not, who might the next big right-handed bat be in the middle of the order?

Teoscar Hernández was a name all over the Red Sox’s radar last offseason, but it seemed like that door was closed once he re-signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers on a three-year, $62 million deal. Instead, coming off a second-straight World Series title in Dodger blue, Hernández is once again being linked to Boston.

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Red Sox linked to Teoscar Hernández (again)

On Thursday, Ken Rosenthal, Patrick Mooney, and Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic published a report that revealed the Dodgers had received trade interest in Hernández this winter, coming off a much worse season than he had in his Los Angeles debut in 2024.

Then, Rosenthal hosted his Thursday edition of the “Fair Territory” podcast and quickly connecteda the Red Sox as the most logical trade destination for Hernández, should he actually be moved.

“One team that stands out immediately,” Rosenthal said, “is a team that’s pretty predominantly left-handed, and it’s Boston. Boston has, of course, the desire to re-sign Alex Bregman, a grear right-handed hitter, but if they don’t, then they’re going to do some other things. And frankly, they’re looking for two bats.”

Rosenthal and his fellow insiders mentioned in the original report that the Dodgers “view a deal as unlikely,” so it may be best to guard expectations.

At the same time, it’s easy to see how a trade could be beneficial both for Hernández, who would be better off with some at-bats as a designated hitter, and for the Dodgers, who need better defense in right field with six-time Gold Glover right fielder Mookie Betts permanently slotted in as the shortstop.

Hernández is entering his age-33 season, and followed up a 33-homer campaign with an .840 OPS in 2024 with a 25-homer campaign featuring a .738 OPS. He did hit five home runs in the playoffs, however, tying him for third in the majors behind Shohei Ohtani and Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

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