Los Angeles Dodgers Add Another All-Star, Sign Slugger Teoscar Hernández
The deal is worth $23.5 million, but Passan is reporting that Hernández will only make $15 million in 2024. The other $8.5 million will be deferred and paid out between 2030 and 2039.
According to MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo, the Boston Red Sox offered Hernández a two-year, $28 million deal, which he passed on in favor of the Dodgers’ offer. His decision didn’t come out of nowhere, either, as Fastball previously covered the fact that Los Angeles was the favorite to add Hernández.
Hernández spent last season with the Seattle Mariners, who opted not to give him a qualifying offer back in November. Seattle acquired the slugger in a trade with the Toronto Blue Jays one year earlier.
In 160 games this past season, Hernández hit .258 with 26 home runs, 93 RBI, a .741 OPS and a 2.1 WAR.
Hernández’s two best seasons came in 2020 and 2021, when he earned fringe MVP votes, won AL Silver Slugger honors and made his only All-Star appearance.
For his career, Hernández is a .261 hitter with an .802 OPS and 12.8 WAR. The 31-year-old has 768 hits, 159 home runs and 473 RBI since making his big league debut with the Houston Astros in 2016.
Hernández is just the latest All-Star to join the Dodgers this offseason. After signing two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani to a record-breaking deal in December, Los Angeles also signed Japanese ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto and acquired starting pitcher Tyler Glasnow and Manuel Margot in a trade with the Tampa Bay Rays.
The Dodgers’ are now projected to start Hernández, veteran Jason Heyward and standout rookie James Outman in the outfield, giving them the talent to move Mookie Betts to second base full time. Margot and utility man Chris Taylor are slated to come off the bench.
Los Angeles has broken 100 wins in each of the last four full seasons, but were only able to win the World Series at the end of the COVID-shortened 2020 campaign. With all their reinforcements and financial commitments, the front office appears to be going all in on winning at least one more Fall Classic in the near future.
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