The Los Angeles Dodgers enjoyed some key contributions from outfielder Teoscar Hernandez in the 2024 campaign. While everybody talked about Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman, the underrated slugger quietly had one of the best seasons of his career in his walk year.
Hernandez entered the market with an open mind and negotiated with multiple squads. In the end, the ball was on the Dodgers’ court and they made the right play by re-signing him to a multi-year deal late on Friday.
“Outfielder Teoscar Hernández and the Los Angeles Dodgers are in agreement on a three-year, $66 million contract, sources tell ESPN. The deal includes a fourth-year option for $15 million, a little more than $23 million in deferred money and a $23 million signing bonus,” MLB insider Jeff Passan reported.
The Dodgers got back a key lineup piece
In true Dodgers fashion, the team managed to get Hernandez to defer approximately a third of the total value of his contract for the future, thus lowering his average annual value (AAV). In return, they get to keep an unsung hero of the 2024 World Series champs, a man who hit 33 home runs and drove in 99 runs in the regular season. He also posted a cool .840 OPS and carries a solid .808 career mark.
The 32-year-old Hernandez flirted with several organizations, including the New York Yankees according to multiple reports. In the end, he is returning to the city in which he was able to celebrate a title.
The Dodgers lineup, who had already added Michael Conforto to play left field, just re-signed their right fielder and are ready to make another run at the Fall Classic in 2025 with most of the core that took them to the top a couple of months ago. They remain, at least on paper, the big favorites to win it all again next year.
