Red Sox Reportedly Among Teams Interested In All-Star Outfielder

The Red Sox might not need to add more outfielder depth, but another right-handed bat could be of interest to chief baseball officer Craig Breslow and his staff.

Boston traded for Tyler O’Neill from the St. Louis Cardinals this month, and the 28-year-old ideally brings more defense to replace Alex Verdugo. The two-time Gold Glove winner also is a right-handed bat the Red Sox could use in the lineup.

The move didn’t prevent the Red Sox from adding more depth to the outfield, and Breslow and his staff might be looking for another option at right field to compete with Wilyer Abreu, who benefitted the most from Verdugo’s trade to the New York Yankees.

Boston is among multiple teams interested in Teoscar Hernández, according to The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal on Friday. The All-Star outfielder averaged 26 homers in his last five full seasons and boasts a career OPS+ 18 percent above league average, per Rosenthal.

Jarren Duran’s was shut down near the end of last season due to a toe injury, Rob Refsnyder primarily is a situational player and Ceddanne Rafaela likely will need to compete for a spot on the major league roster. So the pursuit of another outfielder along with O’Neill makes sense.

Hernández boasted a 106 OPS+ last season along with 26 home runs and 97 RBIs, and his defensive numbers improved finishing plus-1 in defensive runs saved after negative seasons. The 31-year-old also posts strong numbers at Fenway Park, so he would be a solid fit.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s signing with the Los Angeles Dodgers should fasten the action in free agency, and it gives Boston more clarity on the market. Hernández might be part of multiple additions in Breslow’s first offseason as chief baseball officer.