LOS ANGELES — The Dodgers’ impressive offseason took another turn late Sunday night when the club and All-Star outfielder Teoscar Hernandez agreed to a one-year, $23.5 million contract, officials told MLB.com. admitted. The club has not approved this contract.
Even after adding Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tyler Glasnow, and Manuel Margot, the Dodgers were still looking for a right-handed outfielder who could hit left-handed pitchers and be as good as right-handed pitchers.
Hernandez was mentioned as an early target for the Dodgers this winter. Sources say the two-time Silver Slugger had a number of other offers, including two-year deals from the Red Sox and Angels, but ultimately decided to sign a one-year deal with the Dodgers and pursue his original contract. He has decided to join the contract. It’s probably the best offense among the top offenses in the majors.
A steady source of power, Hernandez is one of 12 players to hit at least 25 home runs in each of the past four seasons. That includes 26 games last year with the Mariners, whom he joined in an offseason trade from Toronto. However, his 2023 season didn’t quite live up to expectations for a player who earned MVP votes and won the Silver Slugger Award in 2020 and 2021.
Regardless of the ballpark, one thing Hernandez has always excelled at is hitting left-handed pitchers, posting a career OPS of .887 against southpaws. The Dodgers expect Mookie Betts to play second base in most games, so Hernandez will most likely start in right field against left-handed pitchers and slide into left field against right-handed pitchers. I will do it. Chris Taylor will also be at bat this season as a utility man.
With the addition of Hernandez, the Dodgers won’t be adding any more position players this winter. The club has been exploring options at shortstop, but nothing has materialized, especially with the Willie Adames trade with the Brewers.
After posting over 130 wRC+ in each of his final three years with the Blue Jays, Hernandez posted a 105 wRC+ with the Mariners. His expected weighted on-base percentage has declined for the third consecutive year to .336, and his .741 OPS is his lowest since his debut year with the Astros in 2016. Hernandez had just 100 at-bats with Houston before being traded to the Blue Jays before the 2017 trade deadline.
Plate discipline has never been Hernandez’s strong suit, especially last season. His pursuit rate was a career-worst 35.2 percent. He had a career-low 5.6 percent walk rate against a 31.1 percent strikeout rate. His 211 K and 35.8% whiff rate were each near the top among eligible players.
Hernandez often stung the ball every time he made contact, as shown by his 49.4 percent hard hit rate and 13.8 percent barrel rate. The 31-year-old excelled with his four-seam fastball, posting a .302 average, .659 slugging percentage, and a very high 72.4% hard-hit percentage.
Although he is not an elite defender, Hernandez provides value in the outfield thanks to his strong and accurate arm in right field. His 12 assists last season were tied for third among all outfielders, and his 22 assists the past two seasons were second only to the Nationals’ Lane Thomas.
Hernandez’s most productive full season to date was in 2021, when he hit 32 home runs, drove in 116 runs, and posted a slash line of .296/.346/.524 with Toronto.
