The Los Angeles Dodgers went all-in over the offseason and now stand as the World Series favorites.
And while their offseason deals for Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and Tyler Glasnow grabbed most of the headlines, the addition of outfield slugger Teoscar Hernández has been a major success as well. He’s had more hits, home runs, and RBI than Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, or any other Dodger outside of Ohtani.
But Hernández is poised to hit free agency at the end of the year and Joel Reuter of Bleacher Report has projected that the Dodgers will open the 2025 season without him, letting him walk while signing superstar shortstop Willy Adames and outfielder Jesse Winker instead.
“Swapping out Teoscar Hernández (129 OPS+, 28 HR, 87 RBI) for Jesse Winker (127 OPS+, 14 HR, 58 RBI) would save the team a significant chunk of money, and with a huge offensive upgrade at shortstop in Adames, the offense as a whole would still be upgraded,” Reuter noted.
In his age-31 season, Hernández is earning $15 million on a single-year deal with the Dodgers. His prowess at the plate, which won him the Home Run Derby this year, has most likely earned him a long-term deal for next season and beyond.
But if the Dodgers are able to sign Adames or another shortstop upgrade, that would enable them to move Mookie Betts back to the outfield, where he has won six Gold Glove Awards. It stands to reason that a cheaper outfield option alongside Betts should be enough to keep the Dodgers in contention for a World Series, even without bringing back Hernández.
For his part, though, Hernández has said that he hopes it won’t come to that.
“I want to stay,” he told Bill Ladson of MLB.com. “I don’t want to keep bouncing around the league. I feel good here, comfortable. I think this is a good chance for me to win. That is the most important thing for me.”
More MLB: Diamondbacks expected to retain veteran slugger this offseason
