The tale of the offseason for the Red Sox hasn't been who they've brought in, but who they couldn't bring in. Liam Hendriks, Lucas Giolito, and Cooper Criswell have been the additions in free agency, but the biggest headlines have come from Boston's whiffs.
Sure, the Sox added some players through trades. Tyler O'Neill is sure to bring some power to the lineup and play solid defense. Greg Weissert, who has earned praise this spring, was one of the pitchers the Red Sox acquired for sending Alex Verdugo to the Yankees. But the players the Sox didn't get would have made the biggest difference in the lineup.
Whoever in the front office is responsible for the inaction on the free agency front doesn't matter in this situation. Ultimately, these players could've been Red Sox right now but aren't, and pointing fingers won't change that.
More players passed up on the Red Sox in free agency for a slew of reasons, but these four players are the worst whiffs of the winter.
4 worst free agent fails of the Red Sox's 2023-24 offseason
Teoscar Hernández
The Red Sox were looking for a right-handed power bat after Adam Duvall and Justin Turner departed in free agency. They thought they found their man in outfielder Teoscar Hernández, fresh off his third straight season of 20+ home runs. He posted 26 long balls for the Seattle Mariners in 2023.
The match was perfect, as both the Red Sox and Hernández expressed interest in getting a deal done. Hernández also loves playing at Fenway Park, as he has 14 home runs and 44 RBI in 46 games at Fenway, including three multi-homer games and a six RBI game in 2021.
However, the Red Sox fumbled the negotiations. Hernández said that the Red Sox were one of the two finalists to sign him this offseason but they refused to offer him more than two years. Hernández said he wanted more out of an offer from Boston, but it didn't budge from their two-year offer.
Ultimately, Hernández signed with the other finalist, the Los Angeles Dodgers, on a one-year deal worth $23.5 million. The case of Hernández, who wanted to play in Boston, is just another example of what could have been for the Red Sox.