Considering the Boston Red Sox already have multiple outfielders and might have to move one or two of them during the offseason, trading for another one doesn’t necessarily feel like a priority right now. 

However, because the Red Sox are hoping to be one of the better teams in baseball next season, there’s a scenario where they focus more on the offensive player they’d be getting than on the position they play. 

If the Red Sox make a trade, they could land another outfielder who can also serve as a designated hitter. Among the options floated on the trade market, as surprising as some might think, Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Teoscar Hernandez has been mentioned.

Hernandez isn’t a perfect player by any means, especially defensively. 

He’s also 34 years old and has hit 16 home runs this season, the fewest he’s hit since 2017, when he played just 26 games. In every full season, Hernandez has hit more than 16 home runs, and even in 2020 when he played in 50 games, he still hit 16 then.

However, if the Dodgers are willing to eat some of that contract, it could make some sense. A recent trade proposal would see the Red Sox do just that, but the suggestion would be to take on his remaining contract. He’s currently playing on a three-year, $66 million deal with team/vesting options in 2028 and 2029.

“The last big Dodgers-Red Sox trade was a doozy: Dustin May to Boston in exchange for two top prospects at the 2025 deadline. That might lead fans to believe the Dodgers could pull off another fleece, but the key difference between the May trade and a hypothetical Hernández one is leverage.

“The scramble at the trade deadline is different than the offseason, and the Red Sox’s pitching staff was in dire straits at the time. In this case, it’s the Dodgers who are in more of a position of need, and who will be asking another team to potentially take on over $20 million to clear space for a top prospect,” Katrina Stebbins wrote.

All of this would come down to money for me. If the Dodgers are willing to eat some of that contract, I’d be more than willing to give a guy like Hernandez an opportunity to come to Boston and see if he can pull a couple of baseballs over the Green Monster. 

However, if the Dodgers are looking for an unrealistic haul while taking on his contract, I’d stay far away.

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