Teoscar Hernández wanted to stay with the Dodgers.
The Dodgers wanted to keep Teoscar Hernández.
As the sides grinded through a weeks-long negotiation for the free-agent outfielder this offseason, those truths never wavered.
And on Friday, those desires finally came to fruition, with Hernández agreeing to re-sign with the Dodgers on a three-year, $66-million deal, according to multiple people with knowledge of the situation who weren’t authorized to speak publicly, that will bring back one of the most popular, productive and important players from last season’s World Series team.
The deal, which also includes a $15-million option for a fourth season, serves as the latest move in the Dodgers’ offseason, as they try to defend their championship in 2025.
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Retaining Hernández was one of the biggest tasks the Dodgers faced this offseason. The 32-year-old slugger batted .272 last season with 33 home runs and 99 RBIs, earning his second All-Star selection after signing a one-year, $23.5-million deal the previous offseason.
He delivered some of the most important hits of the Dodgers’ triumphant trek through the postseason, including a key home run in Game 5 of the National League Division Series against the San Diego Padres and the score-tying double in the Dodgers’ comeback win over the New York Yankees in Game 5 of the World Series.
Although the Dodgers never engaged Hernández’s camp in contract talks during the season, the Dominican star repeatedly voiced his desire to stay in Los Angeles after the season. During the Dodgers’ championship rally, he got choked up with emotion while addressing the crowd.
The question was whether Hernández and the Dodgers could come together on a more lucrative, long-term deal — the kind that failed to materialize for Hernández last winter, prompting him to sign his one-year deal with the Dodgers last year and rebuild his stock with a resurgent 2024.
“The Dodgers are the priority obviously,” Hernández said after the championship parade last month. “I’m going to do everything in my power to come back.”
Conversations between the Dodgers and Hernández’s camp began early in the offseason, but talks didn’t intensify until the days leading up to the winter meetings, according to people with knowledge of the situation but not authorized to speak publicly.
More wrenches were thrown into the process when Juan Soto’s record signing with the New York Mets created new potential suitors in Hernández’s free agency, as the next-best free-agent outfielder on the open market.
The Dodgers also signed an outfielder of their own, replenishing their thin depth at the position with a one-year, $17-million contract for veteran Michael Conforto.
That led to something of a waiting game at the winter meetings. The sides were relatively close, people with knowledge of the situation said. But talks did encounter some sticking points — among them the inclusion of deferral money, with Hernández agreeing to defer $23 million while also receiving a $23 million signing bonus.
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“I know that he has talked about wanting to [stay in Los Angeles], I know that we have talked about wanting him to, so again, that’s helpful — but it’s not everything,” president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said during winter meetings, in rather foreboding remarks that hinted at strains in the process.
“He and his family get to go through the interest and figure out what makes the most sense for them,” Friedman added. “So, while we’re hopeful, at the same time, if he ends up signing somewhere else, we have no choice but to wish him well.”
Instead, in the end, the two camps found a way to hammer out a happy reunion.
Now, Hernández’s time in Los Angeles will last more than one triumphant year. And as the Dodgers map out a route to repeat as champions in 2025, the three-time Silver Slugger figures prominently in their plans.
With Mookie Betts expected to return to shortstop next season, Hernández appears to be a candidate to be the everyday right fielder — his strongest defensive position after splitting time in the opposite corner of the outfield last season.
Hernández likely will reprise his role as a run-producer behind the star trio of Shohei Ohtani, Betts and Freddie Freeman as well. Last year, Hernández’s .943 on-base-plus-slugging percentage with runners in scoring position ranked second on the team, while his 99 RBIs were seventh-most in the NL.
Hernández also became an integral part of a clubhouse culture the Dodgers repeatedly cited as a factor for their success in October. His showering of sunflower seeds on teammates following home runs became a regular celebration. He was among the first players to forge a relationship with Ohtani in spring training, and younger players like Andy Pages also benefited from Hernández’s presence.
Those factors made the nine-year veteran seem like a no-brainer to bring back, but his negotiations with the team were not without roadblocks.
Hernández is entering the back half of his career and will have to try to ward off the statistical regression that often ensnares sluggers as they age.
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Even though he raised his OPS from a career-low .741 in 2023 (playing for the Seattle Mariners in pitcher-friendly T-Mobile Park) to .840 with the Dodgers (the second-highest mark of his career for a full season), he also struck out 188 times, continuing a career-long habit of high swing-and-miss rates.
And in order to re-sign Hernández, the team’s pushed its luxury tax payroll past last year’s total of $353 million, according to Cot’s Baseball Contracts, setting them up for heavy tax penalties again in 2025.
Yet, had the club missed on Hernández, it would have had to look elsewhere to round out its outfield depth chart.
So, in the end, the Dodgers stayed engaged with the name they were most familiar with, locking up Hernández after his contributions to their title-winning team, ensuring he will remain a key part of their championship defense too.
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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
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