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Red Sox free agency link could come back to haunt Blue Jays and Ross Atkins

This would be detrimental for Ross Atkins and the Blue Jays.

By Zachary Rotman

May 18, 2024; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins addresses the media before a game against the Tampa Bay Rays at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images
May 18, 2024; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins addresses the media before a game against the Tampa Bay Rays at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images / Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images
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Coming off a season that saw the Boston Red Sox go 81-81, having a good winter could be what gets them back into the postseason for just the second time since 2018. The Red Sox have a strong core, but building around the core will be what gets this team back where it needs to be.

While it's extremely unlikely that the Red Sox end up being serious players in the Juan Soto sweepstakes, they don't have much of an excuse to not be major spenders this offseason after refusing to spend like the big market team that they are for a couple of years now. With that in mind, they were linked to one of the best outfielders on the open market, Teoscar Hernandez, by Mark Feinsand of MLB.com.

The Red Sox being linked to Hernandez comes as no surprise. They expressed interest in him last offseason before he eventually signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Additionally, their need for right-handed bats and Hernandez's career numbers playing at Fenway Park would only make the move even better.

It's a no-brainer for the Red Sox to pursue Hernandez, and having Hernandez end up in Beantown would be a brutal outcome for the Toronto Blue Jays.

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Brutal Ross Atkins trade would look even worse if Teoscar Hernandez signs with Red Sox

Following their second early postseason exit in three years, the Blue Jays wanted to make major changes. One of these changes saw the team trade Hernandez, an All-Star outfielder, to the Seattle Mariners in a deal that brought Erik Swanson and others back to Toronto.

At first, this deal didn't age quite as horribly as it is right now. Swanson had an awesome season for the Jays in 2023, and Hernandez had a bit of a down year in Seattle. The Jays traded a rental in Hernandez for a controllable set-up man in Swanson. Unfortunately, Swanson's brutal year in 2024 makes the deal look a whole lot worse for Toronto.

Hernandez wound up signing a one-year deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers and putting together arguably the best season of his career. He set career highs with 33 home runs and 84 runs scored and he was named an All-Star for the second time. He wound up hitting in the middle of the order for the eventual World Series champions.

If the Blue Jays want to bounce back from what was a horrific 2024 campaign, they'd benefit from signing a player like Hernandez if he's willing to come back to Toronto. Losing out on him to their AL East rivals, especially the ones that have seen Hernandez crush baseballs at their home park and could desperately use his right-handed bat, that'd be a heartbreaking outcome.

Parting with Hernandez when, in hindsight, they probably should not have is one thing. Watching him torment the Jays in the AL East for years to come is another. Hopefully, if Hernandez remains away from Toronto, he, at the very least, stays out of the AL East.

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