What is going on with Teoscar Hernandez?
He still remains a free agent
Entering the offseason, there was one move that seemed like a no-brainer. A move that everyone was kind of expecting to happen days after free agency opened up.
Here we are with December more than halfway over. 2025 is just two weeks away. Spring Training kicks off in two months. We’re getting closer and closer to actual baseball games being played again.
And yet…. Teoscar Hernandez still isn’t a Dodger.
What is going on? Your guess is as good as mine.
We’re well over a month into free agency and Teo is still a free agent. There have been various reports saying both sides are working together, but clearly there is still an issue or two that need to be worked out in the negotiations.
It seems like every day there’s a new report about what the issue is. One day it’s the years of the contract. One day it is the AAV of the deal. The next day it’s about how he doesn’t want deferrals. At the end of the day, nobody really knows why Teoscar and the Dodgers haven’t been able to come to an agreement yet.
Teo was very vocal about wanting to return to LA, which definitely doesn’t help his side with the negotiations. The Dodgers have also been pretty vocal about wanting a reunion with the outfielder. So yeah, it’s pretty crazy that the two sides haven’t reached an agreement yet.
The Dodgers were in on Juan Soto, as they should have been. He has to be your top priority in free agency. Once he signed, the Dodgers signed an outfielder, though it wasn’t the one we were all expecting. They signed Michael Conforto to a one-year deal, potentially as a Teo replacement.
I know a lot of Dodgers fans are saying the Dodgers need to give Teo whatever he wants. While he’s certainly earned himself a great contract, the Dodgers do have to be smart with this. They can’t just be sentimental and give him a bad contract, they’re smarter than that.
Despite fantastic production from Hernandez in 2024, there are reasons why the Dodgers should be hesitant to give him a lengthier contract.
For starters, his defense is really, really bad. Among qualified outfielders, he graded out as one of the worst last season. Among 54 qualified outfielders, here is where Hernandez ranked in some pretty important defensive categories.
-11 Outs Above Average (52nd of 54)
-11 Fielding Run Value (T-52nd of 54)
-3 Defensive Runs Saved (T-38th of 54)
-9 Range (52nd of 54)
-2 Arm (T-49th of 54)
As you can see, things weren’t great for Teo out there in left field. His defense is only going to get worse as the years go on.
His bat is less of a concern, but I could see why the Dodgers would be a little hesitant. I don’t have to explain how great Teo was at the plate last season. It was the best season of his career at the plate. That’s the worry, though. He had his best season last year. What are the odds he replicates that?
He likely will be a very good hitter moving forward, but you don’t want to be giving $25+ million a year to a 20-HR kind of hitter that gives you nothing defensively or on the bases. For him to be worth that kind of money, he’d have to be a 30+ homer a year kind of player. Now, he certainly can be. That’s not out of the equation. I just don’t think it’s fair to expect his 2024 production ever again.
If I were to guess, the Dodgers don’t want to give him anything more than two years. Ideally, another one-year contract could be great but no way Teo takes that. With two years of Teo, you could swallow whatever the AAV is. He’d be worth it. Anything more than that, though? That’s where you risk this turning into a bad contract.
The Dodgers clearly have unlimited money. They have no problem spending. However, they are smart with it. They’re not going to just hand out a contract and not think about how it’ll look a couple years from now. There’s a chance that Teoscar Hernandez could be an awful contract in 2027. There’s also a chance he could still be a bargain. We just don’t know.
Considering he’s still a free agent, the Dodgers have a contract in mind. They have something they feel comfortable with. Well, it’s clearly something Teo isn’t comfortable with. And that’s okay. He’s earned the right to ask for as many years and dollars that he wants. It just doesn’t look like the Dodgers are going to give it to him.
Maybe the two sides could get creative with that potential third year. Maybe there can be incentives that could unlock a player option for the third year. Again, these are just guesses. I don’t know if that is actually the hold up.
I want Teo back with the Dodgers as much as you do. Not just because of his production but mainly because of his presence in that clubhouse. This team NEEDS him back. It would look really bad if the Dodgers didn’t bring him back after he spoke so highly of them all year.
We just have to understand the business side of things. This is part of the game. I’m confident the Dodgers and Teo work something out and he’s back in Dodger blue. At least, I really hope so. Every day that passes and Teoscar Hernandez is still a free agent, I’ll get slightly less confident.
2 years makes sense. Give him some goals he has to reach in year one and two in order for him to get the third year.
Teo - just sign with Buster Posey's SF Giants