As the offseason trickles into the early stages, many free agents are being linked to teams with needs to fill on their rosters. Of those is veteran slugger Teoscar Hernández, who’s likely to have a handful of potential suitors.
The 32-year-old appeared in 154 games for the Los Angeles Dodgers this past season, batting .272/.339/.501 with 32 doubles, two triples, 33 home runs, 99 RBI and 12 stolen bases. Hernández led National League outfielders in home runs, slugging percentage and RBI en route to winning a Silver Slugger Award.
Hernández has made his preference on re-signing with the Dodgers well known, but at the end of the day, baseball is a business and Hernández will explore all his options.
He has already been connected to a few American League East teams, and another one could be getting in on the bidding as the New York Yankees view him as a fallback option, per Jeff Passan of ESPN:
The Dodgers are the favorites to bring him back where he thrived in 2024. Boston is in. So is Baltimore. And the Yankees want him if Soto doesn’t come back, though he could have already signed by the time New York knows where it stands with Soto.
After signing a one-year deal with the Dodgers prior to the 2024 season, Hernández outperformed his contract value. He often showed up in the biggest moments, logging several big swings that propelled the club to their second title in their last four seasons.
Projections for his next contract are in the range of three-years for around $71 million, which would take him into his age-35 season. The Yankees are likely to hold off on committing themselves to Hernández or any other outfielders, until they get final word on Juan Soto, the top name in this year’s class.
Hernández showed no signs of slowing down and his season included a turnaround in his prowess against offspeed pitching as one of the most proficient hitters against secondary stuff. Because he displayed such an effort in the postseasons, teams are likely to acknowledge his ability in big games, as well.
Dodgers and Yankees chasing outfield help
The Yankees are in a similar spot to the Dodgers in that if Soto leaves for another destination, they’ll be in a tough spot with their outfield.
For the Dodgers, if Hernández goes elsewhere, they’ll be in big trouble in multiple spots. While the Yankees are caught up in their pursuit of Soto, Los Angeles would be wise to re-sign the fan favorite on a multi-year deal.
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