Dodgers Bring Huge Power Bat Back on 3-Year, $66 Million Deal
The Los Angeles Dodgers have re-signed slugger Teoscar Hernández, welcoming the outfielder back to the roster for another three seasons.
The days between Christmas and New Year’s Eve may be a slow period for a lot of industries, but as we all know, the business of baseball never seems to stop. On December 27, the Los Angeles Dodgers made their latest roster addition, re-signing outfielder Teoscar Hernández to a three-year, $66 million deal with a club option for the 2028 season, per MassLive’s Chris Cotillo.
While the Dodgers have not yet confirmed Hernández’s deal, the slugger seemed to break the news himself on social media, posting “I’m back” on his Instagram story mere minutes before the contract was reported by members of the media.
Hernández’s new deal includes $23 million-plus in deferrals, according to MLB.com’s Paul Casella, which has seemingly become standard practice for the Dodgers over the last few seasons. Last winter, the Dodgers structured two-way slugger Shohei Ohtani’s 10-year, $700 million mega-contract in a way that would see $68 million per season deferred, and they also deferred a portion of starter Blake Snell’s five-year, $182 million contract this offseason.
This somewhat controversial practice allows the team to continue bolstering their roster without immediately worrying about cash flow, and provides flexibility in the luxury tax system, which the Dodgers have infamously been penalized by in the past.
Teoscar Hernandez is staying with the Dodgers on a 3-year, $66 million deal!
— Just Baseball (@JustBB_Media) December 27, 2024
The deal contains a 4th year option and around $23 million in deferred money, per @JeffPassan. pic.twitter.com/bRenUB0jRy
This offseason has already been an expensive one for the Dodgers, who have made a number of big acquisitions in free agency since their 2024 World Series win.
At the end of November, Los Angeles started their winter with a giant deal for Snell, and quickly followed it up with a five-year, $74 million extension for infielder Tommy Edman. The Dodgers then signed both outfielder Michael Conforto and pitcher Blake Treinen to deals on December 10, locking them in on one-year, $17 million and two-year, $22 million contracts, respectively.
Now, the team has brought back one of their best hitters from the 2024 season in Hernández, and taken yet another top free agent off the market.
Dodgers’ Banking On Hernández Repeating Impressive 2024 Offensive Stats
Having initially signed with the Dodgers on a one-year, $23.5 million deal before 2024, Hernández posted some of the best offensive stats of his career this season. In 652 plate appearances, the 32-year-old put up a .272/.339/.501 line with a career-high 33 home runs, 99 RBI, and 12 stolen bases, earning the second All-Star nod of his career. He won the MLB Home Run Derby in July, becoming the first player to do so in Dodgers history, and appeared in 16 games during the Dodgers’ ultimately successful playoff campaign.
Hernández’s Batting Run Value of 25 ranked him in the 90th percentile of all qualified batters this season, but both his strikeout rate and whiff rate — 28.8% and 34% — were substantially less impressive. Similarly, the outfielder struggled on defense, which has been somewhat of a trend throughout his career.
During the 2024 season, Hernández’s posted a career-worst -9 Outs Above Average (OAA) in left field, which ranked 260th out of 274 qualified fielders. His -11 Fielding Run Value (FRV) was also a career-worst, and while his arm strength was above average, his arm value was well below.
Still, it seems the slugger’s power bat — posting the second-most homers of any hitter on the team in 2024 — was enough to make up for any shortcomings in the field, with the Dodgers now welcoming him back to the roster for at least three seasons.
Multiple Teams Missed Out
After superstar Juan Soto was signed by the New York Mets earlier this month, Hernández was far-and-away the best outfielder left on the market — even with his disappointing defense — and there was no shortage of teams showing interest in his services. At the start of the offseason, The Athletic’s Jim Bowden named the Dodgers, Washington Nationals, Detroit Tigers, and Kansas City Royals as potential landing spots for Hernández, and since then, the Boston Red Sox, Atlanta Braves, and Toronto Blue Jays have also been linked to the 32-year-old.
Still, Hernández made it clear that returning to Los Angeles was his goal this winter.
“My hopes are really high,” Hernández told The Athletic after the World Series parade in November. “Like I’ve said before, the Dodgers are the priority, obviously. I’m going to do everything in my power to come back.”
“I want us to be here,” he continued. “I want us to be part of this. I have so many good memories here. I’ve learned a lot as a player, as a person. It feels great to be part of this.”
With Hernández now off the market, remaining free-agent outfielders include Anthony Santander, Jurickson Profar, and ex-Dodger Kiké Hernández.
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