LOS ANGELES – The Dodgers' impressive offseason got even better late Sunday night when the club and All-Star outfielder Teoscar Hernández agreed to a one-year, $23.5 million contract, sources confirmed to MLB.com. The club has not confirmed the deal.
Even after adding Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tyler Glasnow and Manuel Margot, the Dodgers were looking for a right-handed hitting outfielder who could hit left-handed hitters and hold his own against right-handed hitters.
Hernández was identified as an early target for the Dodgers this winter. The two-time Silver Slugger had numerous other offers, according to sources, including two-year deals from the Red Sox and Angels, but ultimately settled on a one-year deal with the Dodgers to be part of what was supposed to be one of the majors' best offenses, perhaps even the best.
Hernández is a consistent source of power and is one of 12 players to hit at least 25 home runs in each of the last four full seasons. That includes his 26-player last year with the Mariners, whom he joined after an offseason move from Toronto. But his 2023 season didn't quite live up to expectations for a player who received MVP votes and was a Silver Slugger winner in 2020 and 2021.
Regardless of the ballpark, Hernández has always excelled at batting left-handed, with a career OPS of .887 against southpaws. For the Dodgers, Hernández would get most of his starts in right field against lefties and slide to left field against righties as Mookie Betts will play most of his games at second base. Chris Taylor will also be used as a utility man this season.
With Hernández on board, the Dodgers likely won't add any additional position players this winter. The club has explored options at shortstop, but nothing has materialized on a trade, particularly with the Brewers for Willy Adames.
After posting a wRC+ of 130 or better in each of his final three years with the Blue Jays, Hernández posted a wRC+ of 105 with the Mariners. His expected weighted on-base average fell to .336 for the third straight year, and his OPS was .741 the lowest since his debut year with the Astros in 2016. Hernández completed just 100 tackles with Houston before being dealt to the Blue Jays before the 2017 trade deadline.
Plate discipline has never really been Hernández's strength, and that was especially true last season. His pursuit rate was the worst of his career: 35.2 percent. He posted a career-low walk rate of 5.6%, compared to a strikeout rate of 31.1%. His 211 K's and 35.8% whiff rate were each near the top of qualified players.
Hernández often hit the ball when he touched it, as evidenced by his outstanding strike rate of 49.4 percent and his strike rate of 13.8 percent. The 31-year-old really punished four-seam fastballs with a .302 average, a .659 slugging percentage, and an extremely high hard-hit rate of 72.4%.
He's not an elite defender, but Hernández provides value in the outfield thanks to his strong, accurate arm in right field. His 12 assists were the third-most of any outfielder last season, and his 22 assists over the last two seasons trail only the Nationals' Lane Thomas.
Hernández's most productive full season to date came in '21, when he hit 32 home runs, drove in 116 runs and posted a .296/.346/.524 slash line with Toronto.