On Jan. 12, outfielder Teoscar Hernández inked a one-year, $23.5 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers. The pact proved savvy on both sides, as the Dodgers invested in Hernández returning to his All-Star form while Hernández invested in playing for baseball's most talented team.
So far, Hernández's decision has paid off. The ninth-year slugger made the All-Star team, won the Home Run Derby, and helped Los Angeles build a seven-game lead in the NL West entering the All-Star break.
However, his free agency almost unfolded differently, as he discussed in a brief hit for the podcast Baseball Isn't Boring.
"It was two years, $28 (million)," Hernández said of the Boston Red Sox's offer to him this offseason. "I was not going to go and spend my free agency trying to get a bad deal."
BIB on the Go: Teoscar Hernandez Details Why He DIdn't Land In Boston
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The Red Sox, who have spent most of the last decade curbing their formerly robust spending, are currently holding on to the American League's final wild-card spot.
"At the end of the day, I love the Red Sox and it was one of my favorite teams," Hernández said. "At the end of the day I have to make what is best for me and my career and my family."
The Dodgers and Boston are scheduled to meet in a three-game series this weekend.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Dodgers' Teoscar Hernández Details Why He Didn't Sign With Red Sox in Free Agency.
