Teoscar Hernández remains a free agent more than a week after Juan Soto agreed to sign a record-setting contract with the New York Mets.
Hernández’s market was expected to heat up after Soto came off the board, with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees and Toronto Blue Jays among the teams linked to him.
Hernández has made it clear that he would like to remain with the Dodgers but the sides are seemingly at a stalemate in negotiations.
During an appearance on “The Dodgers Debate,” Jack Harris of the L.A. Times noted that Hernández and the Dodgers may be able to find some common ground if deferrals aren’t part of his new contract:
“They don’t sound like they’re that far apart. That’s the way this has been explained to me. That said, there are some sticking points.
“The Dodgers love doing deferrals, and Teoscar Hernández already took a deal that had some deferrals. I think that’s one area of disagreement. Obviously, there’s going to be other teams that are interested in him and I think his market is still developing. With Juan Soto coming off the board, that opened up some options.”
Hernández signed a one-year, $23.5 million contract with the Dodgers last offseason, with $8.5 million of the total value to be paid out from 2030-2039.
L.A. has utilized salary deferrals as part of their strategy to build the best roster possible, but it is understandable why Hernández might be reluctant to sign a new contract with even more money to be paid down the line.
Hernández is reportedly seeking a three-year contract with an annual salary in the $22-24 million range.
It was reported Hernández and the Dodgers were nearing a contract agreement at the end of the Winter Meetings in Dallas, but that has yet to come to fruition. The expectation still remains that the Dodgers will ultimately re-sign Hernández.
Dave Roberts: ‘Would be tough’ if Dodgers don’t re-sign Teoscar Hernández
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts spoke candidly on the possibility of Hernández signing elsewhere.
“It would be tough,” Roberts said of the team potentially having to replace Hernández. “Obviously I’m a huge fan of Teo. We have a great relationship. His words, he loved everything about being a Dodger, and I’m always going to be a Teo fan.
“There’s not a whole lot of guys that can start 157, 158 ballgames and post and then to be that productive. Then you layer on being in a big market, helping us win a championship. So those players don’t come around very often.
“But obviously Teo has put himself in a very good position as a free agent and had a very productive year. So he’s got some decisions to make as well. He’s going to kind of suss those out. It would be hard for me not to see him coming back.”
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