Red Sox Rumors: AL Team ‘Heavily’ Interested In Boston Target

All signs point to the Red Sox badly wanting Teoscar Hernández on their roster, but Boston apparently is not alone in that desire.

The Red Sox last week were listed among the rumored suitors for Hernández and the club reportedly has “discussed potential contract parameters” with the free-agent outfielder. As of Wednesday morning, Boston remained among the “most aggressive” teams in pursuit of Hernández, who “has a handful of interested teams,” per MassLive’s Chris Cotillo. One of those clubs is the Los Angeles Angels, who are “heavily involved” in the Hernández sweepstakes, according to Cotillo.

The Halos’ reported interest in the 2021 American League All-Star isn’t difficult to understand. The Angels lost considerable thump in their lineup when Shohei Ohtani elected to take his talents to the Dodgers. There’s obviously no replacing the dual-threat phenom, but LA must now do the best it can to protect franchise cornerstone Mike Trout in the batting order. Hernández, who logged a combined 83 home runs and 286 RBIs the last three seasons, could help achieve that goal.

Cotillo noted how Hernández could end up landing a four-year contract on the open market if the bidding war keeps intensifying. Earlier in the MLB offseason, The Athletic projected the veteran outfielder to sign a four-year pact worth $80 million.