In recent years, we've seen Craig Breslow prefer to fill the Boston Red Sox's needs via the trade market as opposed to free agency. A prime instance of this was the decision to trade for Willson Contreras over signing Pete Alonso, a move that stung at the time but ultimately seems to have worked out well in the short term.
With the General Manager Meetings this week, we could see Breslow break out the same playbook. The Red Sox desperately need a right-handed power bat in the outfield, and the folks over at The Boston Globe see a trade for Los Angeles Dodgers slugger Teoscar Hernandez as the perfect solution.
Hernandez has long been the subject of trade rumors, and the chances that the 34-year-old gets moved have only grown after the emergence of LA's top prospect Josue De Paula. In light of top free-agent targets Seiya Suzuki and Randy Arozarena receiving the qualifying offer, Boston could be even more motivated to pursue a trade for Hernandez.
The Boston Globe floats a Teoscar Hernández trade as a fit for the Red Sox’s need for power.
— Matthew Crory (@matthewcrory) November 8, 2026
The Globe suggests Hernández could DH in Boston, with Shohei Ohtani blocking that role in Los Angeles and the #Dodgers looking to get younger.
Hernández is owed $22.2M for 2027,… pic.twitter.com/AUPqj9q76c
As an added bonus, 2027 is the final year of Hernandez's contract, and there's also a relatively affordable $15 million club option for 2028. The Red Sox always favor financial flexibility, which Hernandez brings over the longer-term deals required to lure in Suzuki or Arozarena, and with the current labor uncertainty, Hernandez's financials become all the more appealing.
Jarren Duran and Masataka Yoshida are obstacles in the way of a Red Sox trade for Teoscar Hernandez
While the reasons to like bringing Hernandez into the fold are clear, making it happen in practice is more difficult. Boston's outfield logjam still exists, and the organization's stubborn view of Jarren Duran's trade value will make it extremely difficult to move the much-maligned outfielder.
Then there's the Masataka Yoshida situation that must be dealt with. The pitch for Hernandez is to have him fill the DH spot most nights. Defense has never been his strong suit, and now, in his mid-30s, limiting his outfield exposure is a smart idea. That's where Yoshida comes in to cause headaches.
The 33-year-old cannot play the field, making him a waste of a roster spot if he's stuck on the bench. At the same time, DH-only players in their 30s aren't easy to market in trades, and the situation becomes even worse when they make $18.6 million, have little pop, and possess a lengthy injury history, all of which apply to Yoshida.
The Red Sox can't fit Hernandez onto the roster if they don't move on from at least one of these players, and in an ideal world they cut ties with both. That would require taking whatever they can get for Duran, which Breslow seems unwilling to do, and potentially DFA'ing Yoshida, which would also be out of character.
Finally, there's the question of whether or not the impact Hernandez could make will be worth jumping through all of these hoops. His first season in Los Angeles was tremendous, posting an .840 OPS with 33 dingers in 2024. However, over the last two seasons, he's seen his OPS fall to .738 and .759, respectively, and he hit just 16 home runs in 2026 as he was limited by injuries.
The price tag for Hernandez shouldn't be high as a result, but giving up any kind of capital to get him if the logjam can't be alleviated is a waste of time. With the Dec. 1 CBA expiration looming, the Red Sox won't have much time to operate with all of these moving parts, potentially making a deal a non-starter.
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