Teoscar Hernández remains one of the top free agent bats on the market as he has yet to re-sign with the Los Angeles Dodgers as most expected.
The Dodgers and Hernández both made public claims about their desire to get a deal done, but money is reportedly an issue in their negotiations.
Hernández has reportedly been seeking a contract of three years and around $22-24 million per season. It’s unclear what the Dodgers have been at in their offers, but an issue of deferrals could be playing a part in the delay.
As the Dodgers and Hernández continue their stalemate, other teams have also shown interest in the All-Star outfielder. The Boston Red Sox have been most often connected to him, but one of the Dodgers’ rivals could be making a play for his services.
According to Mark Feinsand of MLB.com, the San Francisco Giants are looking to add another hitter to their lineup and Hernández is one of the options being considered:
Even after extending Matt Chapman and signing Adames, the Giants could look to add another bat, with Alonso, Anthony Santander, Jurickson Profar and Teoscar Hernández among the potential options.
While the Giants interest is notable from a perspective that it would make their rival weaker, they have had issues recruiting top free agents for the past few years.
The team is likely out of playoff contention for the foreseeable future and Oracle Park is not ideal for hitters. They are likely required to overpay to bring in talent, and thus far they have seemed unwilling to do that.
Any team that signs Hernández would also have to give up draft pick compensation due to the qualifying offer he received — and rejected — so that is part of the calculus for opposing teams.
The expectation is still that Hernández returns to the Dodgers, but the longer the impasse lasts, either side could decide it’s best to stop waiting and move on.
The Dodgers may be nearing that point as they have been exploring potential replacements, including Seiya Suzuki, Luis Robert Jr. and Ha-Seong Kim.
Red Sox not aggressively pursuing Teoscar Hernández
Even though the Dodgers and Hernández have a gap in their negotiations, it doesn’t appear that the Red Sox have ramped up their efforts to sign the slugger.
Still, Hernández is said to be intrigued by the possibility of playing at Fenway Park for Red Sox manager Alex Cora, but it remains to be seen if the sides will eventually strike a deal.
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