The Los Angeles Dodgers have never been afraid to spend big money to put a contender on the diamond.
That will come in handy this Winter when a key piece of their rotation and an everyday middle-of-the-order hitter hit the free agent market.
While a handful of All-Stars are already under contract for LA, Jack Flaherty and Teoscar Hernandez are both slated for free agency in the offseason. Retaining both may not be an option, even for a team as financially flexible as the Dodgers.
According to a projection from ESPN's Kiley McDaniel, Flaherty is expected to land a contract in the $100 million to $200 million range. Hernandez is projected to land in the $40 million to $80 million bracket.
LA isn't in a bad place from a payroll standpoint going into the 2025 season. Spotrac has them at $171,666,666 for next year -- the fourth-highest mark in baseball before free agency. Their total payroll in 2024 was more than $238 million, so they have some room to work with.
Even with room to re-sign a player like Flaherty, it's hard to envision the Dodgers going over the top to add another high-priced arm just one offseason after signing Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Tyler Glasnow to contracts worth an excess of $461 million. That duo with Gavin Stone and either internal starter depth or lower-tier free agents should give LA plenty in their starting rotation.
Hernandez is a different story. LA needs to ensure they're bringing him back, especially if his deal is going to run them in the $23 million per year range. Even a four-year deal worth north of $80 million would be worth the investment in an integral piece of their lineup through his age 35 season.
The Dodgers don't need to pinch pennies in the offseason, but they also don't need to spend recklessly. Losing out on Flaherty wouldn't be the end of the world, but re-signing Hernandez needs to be a priority, especially if he's only landing in the range McDaniel projects.
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