The Los Angeles Dodgers took their shot at superstar free agent Juan Soto, but they ultimately came up short. Soto landed with the New York Mets on a $765 million deal. As a result, the Dodgers have to fall back on a different outfielder and the easiest solution is sitting right in front of them.
Los Angeles signed outfielder Michael Conforto earlier this winter, but a right-handed outfielder would still help quite a bit. FanSided’s Michael Brakebill recently predicted Los Angeles would re-sign veteran outfielder Teoscar Hernández this winter. Jon Heyman of the New York Post projects the free-agent outfielder to sign a deal worth $60 million this offseason. “The Dodgers were close to landing Teoscar Hernández back toward the beginning of free agency, and it appears to be a deal that’s already etched in stone without Hernández signing on the dotted line,”
Brakebill wrote. “The Dodgers went for it with Juan Soto, just in case they could land him, but were never really a favorite. Hernández slashed .272/.339/.501 with 33 home runs and 99 RBIs in 2024, the production that LA. will welcome back with open arms. In 2024, he earned his second All-Star honor and his third Silver Slugger.”
This reunion makes plenty of sense. Hernández very clearly loved his time in Los Angeles, largely because of the World Series that came at the end of his season with the Dodgers. If he lands back in Los Angeles, it only boosts the Dodgers’ chances of winning back-to-back World Series titles. Los Angeles can come up with $20 million a year to pay the outfielder, especially if they use some deferred money in the contract.
Leave a Reply