The Los Angeles Dodgers made a statement on Tuesday night by signing two-time Cy Young award winner Blake Snell to a five-year contract worth $182 million. LA entered the off-season with multiple questions in their rotation, and even though they still could use a couple of arms for depth, bringing in Snell is a fantastic start.
With Snell, they now have Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tyler Glasnow, Tony Gonsolin, Dustin May and several others like the injured Gavin Stone.
The Dodgers are most likely not done, though. After all, the off-season is just beginning. What else will they do? What about their own free agents?
MLB insider Ken Rosenthal spoke about two specific names: Walker Buehler and Teoscar Hernandez. The former is a top starter when fully healthy, while the latter is a valuable slugger from the outfield position.
Rosenthal believes that the Dodgers will be able to bring back Hernandez, but is not as optimistic about Buehler, who shut down the New York Yankees for five innings in his start against them during the World Series and then secured the save in the defining Game 5 in the Bronx.
Rosenthal doesn’t think the Dodgers will retain Walker Buehler
“What’s next for the Dodgers? “I don’t expect Walker Buehler to be back, but I do expect Teoscar Hernández to be back,” says @Ken_Rosenthal,” Foul Territory posted on X.
Hernandez is one of the most underrated sluggers in the game, contributing 33 blasts, 99 RBI and a .840 OPS for the Dodgers in 2024. He also had some clutch hits and moments in the playoffs.
Now that they secured Snell and knowing that Buehler will likely require a multi-year deal, the Dodgers will probably focus on Hernandez if they have to choose one star to retain. Still, we shouldn’t completely rule out a move for Buehler.
The Dodgers, as we have seen time and again, are full of surprises.