The Dodgers and outfielder Teoscar Hernández have interest in a reunion after a successful season together but no deal has come together yet. Alden González of ESPN reports that the two sides have been negotiating for weeks but have been “unable to bridge the gap.”
Hernández, now 32, was a free agent a year ago on the heels of a down season. After hitting .283/.333/.519 with the Blue Jays over the 2020-22 seasons for a 132 wRC+, he was traded to the Mariners prior to the 2023 season and went on to hit .258/.305/.435 for a 106 wRC+. Seattle let him hit the open market without a qualifying offer and Hernández ended up lingering unsigned into January. He did receive a two-year, $28MM offer from the Red Sox but decided to bet on himself by signing a one-year deal with the Dodgers which paid him $23.5MM, though with deferrals.
The move worked out well for both sides. Hernández put up a line of .272/.339/.501 and a 134 wRC+ this year, back on his previous pace, making his lone season in Seattle look like a blip. He also hit well in 16 postseason games as the Dodgers went on to win the World Series. While celebrating that title, he openly expressed his desire to return to the Dodgers.
Last month, Jeff Passan of ESPN wrote that Hernández could be one of the first big names to sign this winter, but that hasn’t come to pass. Given that Hernández had a frustrating stint in free agency last time, it would make sense for him to desire a quick resolution this time around. But given his stronger platform year, he would naturally want fair market value and wasn’t just going to accept any deal put in front of him.
The path back to Los Angeles may have become a little foggier recently. The Dodgers just signed Michael Conforto yesterday, adding another corner outfielder to the roster. The club reportedly still has interest in Hernández even with Conforto in the mix but it may decrease their urgency. Their current outfield projection would likely see Conforto in one corner, Tommy Edman in center and Andy Pages in another corner, with James Outman around as depth and prospect Dalton Rushing lurking in Triple-A. Edman can also play the middle infield but the Dodgers are seemingly set there with Mookie Betts, Miguel Rojas and Gavin Lux. Using the designated hitter spot isn’t an option with Shohei Ohtani there nearly every day.
Conforto, Outman and Rushing are all lefties, so perhaps there’s room for Hernández in a platoon role, but he’s surely looking for more than that. After his strong bounceback season in 2024, MLBTR predicted he could land a three-year, $60MM deal.
The gap between the Dodgers and Hernández could perhaps open the door for other suitors to come in. The Juan Soto frenzy just came to an end, with the Mets ending up in the winner’s circle. The Yankees, Red Sox and Blue Jays were reportedly the finalists, so those clubs could now look to alternatives and all three have been connected to Hernández. The free agent outfield market also still features Anthony Santander, Jurickson Profar, Max Kepler and others, though Soto, Conforto and Tyler O’Neill have come off the board in recent days. The trade market could feature Cody Bellinger, Lane Thomas, Wilyer Abreu and others.
If Hernández ends up elsewhere, the Dodgers will receive compensation since he rejected a qualifying offer from them. Since the Dodgers paid the competitive balance tax last year, they would only receive modest compensation, a pick after the fourth round of the upcoming draft. The signing team would be subject to penalties, though the exact nature of the forfeitures would depend if that club paid the competitive balance tax in 2024 or is a revenue sharing recipient.
I’m just here for the deferral jokes.
They won’t kick in until 2029
How do deferrals work on leap years?
Leave the empire and join the rebellion down the 5.
Brown and Gold would suit you.
Little bro’, please.
Ever see when little bro ends up taller and more muscular than big bro.
A David vs Goliath, guess what David was the little bro in his family.
Shout out to all the “little bros’ out there. Often times you end up carrying the torch for your fam.
Never towinagain. Never!
You’ll have to wait awhile. (I’m here all week!)
He’s as good as gone. The Yankees and Red Sox need to make a splash now. He’s the target.
For sure, and they won’t have to compete with Toronto, who will likely only be targeting Santander. One less competitor to raise the price.
mets – Disagree, I think he will stay with the Dodgers for less than what he’s offered elsewhere as long as the Dodgers are in the ballpark.
Fever, we disagree. Signing Conforto to that absurd deal means to me the bidding for Hernandez will force even the Dodgers not to keep up in this case
Absurd deal? He made $18 million last season, and they paid him $1 million less. How is that deal absurd?
He’s 32, coming off a career year likely not to be repeated. 180-200 K’s yearly. Contract beyond three years not advised. I’d pass.
He was basically exactly the same player from 20-22 so I wouldn’t call 24 a career year. I do agree about limiting the contract to 3 years.
Three years $25m with and opt out each season for $5m. Meaning $80m total. I’m still though questioning the signing bonuses that are being paid now like other sports. This could be $20m bonus with $20m each season and no opt out.
I agree with showmebb. You need to check his 2020 and 2021 numbers. Last year was not a career year.
I wouldn’t pay him either but someone will. Which is also why he won’t give the Dodgers a discount. At 32 it’s his last big contract and he will cash in. Someone will offer him 4 years and more money than the Dodgers will offer. Deferrals or not the money gets paid out sooner or later.
Crying and talking about wanting to stay publicly would create that gap
So would making a $600 million offer to a player you don’t need.
So would dodgers signing conforto
This may hurt him when dealing with other teams. Think about what happens if he signs with the Red Sox and the first question in the press conference is “so we were not your preferred destination, right?”.
Then he just lies and says he’s happy to be in Boston with a team who showed how much they value him. Not that big of a deal. Players sign with orgs who aren’t their preferred destinations all the time.
And that would be a “lie” how, exactly?
In Yossi’s hypothetical scenario Boston clearly is not Teo’s preferred destination. So he lies and makes it seem like it is.
Baloney. The team that pays him the most is the one that wanted him the most. By definition.
Uh, yeah? I never said anything about that. You clearly misread. The hypothetical is about Teoscar being asked “So we (Boston) were not your preferred destination?” My response is that he uses typical player-speak, saying he’s happy to be in Boston with a team who valued him most. And that nobody would be offended by that response because it would be handled professionally, and it’s rare for players to sign with their preferred destination anyway.
Uh, yeah. You said it would be a lie, when by definition, it would be the truth.
Man, you guys like to argue.
Semantics. I think you know damn well what I mean.
So the difference between a lie and the truth is just semantics? Wow.
You’re very bothered by an innocuous statement lol. No, the word “preferred” is where the semantics come into play and surely you know that and are just trying to be combative. If Teo takes an $80M offer from Boston over a $60M offer from LA that doesn’t make Boston his preferred destination, it makes Boston’s offer his preferred offer.
If it were me, I’d take the $80M from Boston, but I’d have little desire to play there as I’d prefer to stay on the west coast in SD, LA, SF, or SEA. I’d do everything in my power to get one of the teams from those cities to increase their offer. If they didn’t, well, my family being set up for generations trumps my preferred destination. In no way in this scenario is Boston my preferred destination, it’s just the extra $20M that’s preferred.
You seem to be bothered by my pointing out what your statement means. If you mean something different, then you should say something different.
Well I’m not bothered considering my statement didn’t change lol. I just had to explain how it’s logical to you. I would love to see how you interpret analogies and metaphors since you couldn’t quite figure this one out.
Oh I see, you were writing poetry. Silly me for not seeing it.
You literally used a metaphor in this thread! You called my statement “baloney,” which is a metaphor for nonsense… I’m pretty positive you weren’t calling my statement sandwich meat LOL
No chance LA brings him back after signing Conforto
Yeah, seems weird that they spent all that money on Conforto with Teoscar still on the market. But hey, that means my team has a better shot at Teoscar so I won’t complain.
I was thinking the same thing. With Soto signing with the Mets, I’m guessing the Sox’s and Yankees are going to throw some crazy money at him…which he deserves. I really enjoyed watching him play as a Dodger so good luck to him but still keeping my fringers crossed they figure something out
Conforto is a utility outfielder much like Jason Heyward was, Conforto will be platooning and coming off the bench, Teaoscar is an everyday player, so there’s that! Teo will be back…bank it!
Dodgers finally putting their foot down on an outrageous contract. Now that’s rich
What deal have they signed that is outrageous? Ohtani looks better and better with Soto getting what he did
ATL, here he comes.
The Dodgers don’t need Hernandez, they have their OFers and Ohtani as DH
Whether or not they bring Hernandez back still makes Chris Taylor a spare part LA needs to rehome. They’ll have to eat some of that contract, but but the guy truly has outlived his usefulness.
Boston makes the most sense. Yankees have too many RH hitters but he could still end up there.
They do make the most sense, which is why he won’t end up here. Just think, we could have had him a year ago for a 3 year contract, now it’s gonna cost a 3 year contract AND a draft pick. Smart move, Red Sox! Smarter than every other team in the league!
If the Dodgers do bring him back, it’s a precursor to a trade. It makes guys like Pages and Outman expendable, though Outman isn’t exactly at high trade value. Pages being able to play all 3 positions and having a 100 WRC last year as a rookie make him an interesting piece. Not enough for a guy like Crochet, but I could see them flipping him and another prospect for a big bullpen name or a mid level rotation piece.
Dodgers have like 8 starting pitchers that should be in the rotation. At some point, doesn’t it create a poisonous atmosphere within the organization if really good players don’t get a chance to play because the team just keeps adding hugely expensive superstars? I mean, what’s the point here?
That’s true, but they also have to go to a 6 man rotation and have tons of injury concerns. Snell, Glasnow, Yamamoto, Ohtani, presumably Kershaw, and one of Miller/May/Gonsolin. I think I saw Stone will be out to start the year, but I can’t remember his specific injury. None of those guys can be penciled in for 150 innings at this point.
Outman getting traded…bank it!
Red Sox, get on this, please!!!!
Red Sox need to be chasing Fried and Burnes too.
Absolutely. But we do also need one more powerful bat in the lineup, and it needs to be right handed. Was hoping for an O’Neill reunion because it felt more likely and he was a good fit last year, but adding Teoscar would also be great. O’Neill’s already off the market and it seems Hernandez is also more motivated to move quickly than the pitchers are, so I see no harm in prioritizing getting this done first while they continue to work their feelers on the top of rotation arms.
I have him signing back with the Dodgers. He thrived on that team last season, and Dodgers were obviously happy with him in the clubhouse too.
Teoscar signed a prove it deal and had by far the best season of his career. Expecting the same or greater production going forward is unrealistic. Dodgers assessment of his future value is most certainly lower than what several other teams are willing to pay him. He will always have those 2024 memories. Never fly too close to the sun.
Not by far, and not even at all. Several of his seasons were better or very close to 2024. All any team can expect from him in the future is somewhere in the neighborhood of his career work, which is pretty good. That’s all anyone can know unless they have access to special information.
If you are a CBT payer, you want to use up your draft-picks forfeits only on someone of quality. Is he worth it to a CBT-paying team>
Too old for anything more than two years. Not that good of an outfielder. They need someone athletic that can pound lefties. Get one cheaper than overpaying Teoscar. I bet he’s in Boston by the end of the week.
He’s a solid fit there that reminds me of Ellis Burks in many ways. If Sox were a finalist for Soto, they can afford to slightly overpay Hernandez, but not for more than 3 years.
Good for him. Should have not given all that money to Edman first
Teo will be a Dodger…PERIOD! Fans love him, teammates love him and ownership will do him right! Dodgers don’t win that WS without him! Yeah his price just went up but Dodgers print money!….Welcome home Teo!
I deferred my comment until after 30 others. But even the Dodgers might not want to pay and pay and pay forever. The team passed on the Soto craziness, for instance. And they pivoted to a much lower outlay on Conforto when the Hernandez talks apparently reached an impasse.
The Dodgers may figure that Hernandez had a career year in 2024 and don’t want to dole out a multi-year big-dollar deal. But given the way salaries are blowing through the roof for everybody, Hernandez will get paid well no matter who signs him. It’s a really nice time to be a free agent.
Honestly, unless another team goes crazy, Dodgers will still probably get him.. Dodgers don’t want to, but they will have to overpay. They are letting his market get set, as is Teo, then they’ll see if they can close.. I mean, the Dodgers just overpaid 17 million for one year on Conforto. Repeat: Conforto.. I doubt they skimp on Hernandez at this point.
IMO – Dodgers need to keep Betts in RF another year. But obviously the Dodgers really do intend to play Mookie at 2B if they sign Teo.
If they don’t sign Teo, keep Mookie in RF.
Also, clearly, some Dodger trades coming at some point. Probably makes sense to wait on Teo to find out who is tradable and what positions are best to trade for. (I’m talking position players, not pitchers).
Predict: Teo 4 years 110 million with deferrals that drop the luxury tax to AAV to 20-22. (Overpay? Strictly speaking yes, but flags fly forever).
Dodgers really like 1 year deals with options. No way they give him 4 years
I always react the same way to claims of an overpay: They don’t really exist. By definition, the team that signs a player is willing to pay more for his services than the other teams. This does not mean they overpaid, it means they saw the most value in the player, and made the highest bid.
As for what is going on between the Dodgers and this player, I can only imagine they are trying to collect on his stated desire to remain on the team. I hope if they do come to a bargain that Hernandez won’t feel like the Dodgers sweated him into it.
I am not concerned about him feeling sweated into anything because he will have options, so if he picks the Dodgers, he will do so from leverage. It is possible the Dodgers pass on what the Yanks or Red Sox will pay him now that Soto is off the board.. As I said, I still think the greater likelihood is LA, but for the first time, I am thinking he could go elsewhere because the market lines up so well for him. And, again, trades coming either way.
True, he will have multiple offers, but I think the bottom line is whether the Dodgers are expecting him to take less than market and are trying to get him to put a dollar value on his desire to remain with the team. These discounts are rare, and for good reason.
Lux hit 300 with an 899 ops for the second half. I can’t see him getting benched
Don’t worry he’ll be back with d*ddy. Every sellout knows he’d be nothing unless he signs up with the All-Star team that will basically give him any money he wants. I don’t care what this article says. I’m sure it’s just a lovers quarrel that will end in another marriage that continues to ruin this broken league. Maybe Hernández and Sasaki can sign up the same day and recruit Kike too since we know that little weasel won’t go anywhere else and risk being a nobody again.
Stop watching baseball, you won’t be missed
Hal, let’s go!
Time for breslow to jump in and close the gap
If he’s smart he’ll go to the Mets !
@JayRyder
Dodgers are old and falling apart. Not sure why one would return to a sinking ship like that.
Money.
guessing the Sox and Yanks are offering 4 to 5 years at a 140 mil plus. don’t see the Dodgers going there. needed to get Teo signed before Soto but that was never going to happen was it?
Since when was money an issue? They have NO internal cap and stop themselves from spending. Hard to figure this one out. Do they want him or not.