Dodgers, Blue Jays Have Made Dueling Offers to Teoscar Hernandez: Report
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The Los Angeles Dodgers and Toronto Blue Jays are both interested in reuniting with outfielder Teoscar Hernández in free agency, according to a new report.
Doug McKain of Dodgers Nation reported Thursday that both teams have three-year offers out to the 32-year-old outfielder, who recently revived talks with the Dodgers after helping them win the 2024 World Series.
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Speaking to reporters at the Winter Meetings in Dallas, president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said he was “hopeful” about bringing Hernández back to Los Angeles.
“He had a really good year,” Friedman said of Hernández. “He put himself in a great position and I know he has talked about wanting to (re-sign), and I know that we have talked about him wanting to, and he and his family get to go through the interest and figure out what makes the most sense for them.
TORONTO, ON – OCTOBER 07: Vladimir Guerrero Jr. #27, Teoscar Hernandez #37, Bo Bichette #11, and Matt Chapman #26 of the Toronto Blue Jays stand during the national anthems before playing the Seattle Mariners during… TORONTO, ON – OCTOBER 07: Vladimir Guerrero Jr. #27, Teoscar Hernandez #37, Bo Bichette #11, and Matt Chapman #26 of the Toronto Blue Jays stand during the national anthems before playing the Seattle Mariners during in Game One of their AL Wild Card series at Rogers Centre on October 7, 2022 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Hernandez is talking to the Blue Jays about returning to Toronto in 2025.
Mark Blinch/Getty Images
“So while we’re hopeful,” Friedman said, “at the same time, if he ends up signing somewhere else, we have no choice but to wish him well and on a personal level we’ll be really happy for him and professionally not so much.”
Hernández hit 33 home runs with 99 runs batted in and an OPS of .840 in 2024. In July, he made the All-Star team and became the first Dodgers player ever to win the Home Run Derby.
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In six seasons in Toronto (2017-22), Hernández won two American League Silver Slugger Awards, slashing .263/.320/.503 in 609 games. He presents a logical fallback option as a corner outfielder with power to the teams who missed out on free agent Juan Soto.
The Blue Jays, Dodgers, New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox all met with and offered contracts to Soto, who ultimately signed a 15-year, $765 million contract with the New York Mets.
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In January, the Dodgers signed Hernández to a deferral-laden, $23.5 million contract as a free agent coming off a down year with the Seattle Mariners. He proceeded to become a fan favorite in Los Angeles.
Now, according to McKain, Hernández has three-year offers on the table from the Blue Jays and Dodgers, and has also drawn interest from other teams.
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While the New York Yankees are said to be focused on other priorities — they’re reportedly talking to the Houston Astros about acquiring outfielder Kyle Tucker — they haven’t completely dropped out of the race to sign Hernández either, according to McKain. The Red Sox remain engaged, as well.
The Cincinnati Reds and Philadelphia Phillies have also checked in with Hernández, according to McKain, while the Baltimore Orioles have focused their attention elsewhere, preferring not to sacrifice the draft pick required to sign a player who received and rejected a qualifying offer.
Hernández rejected a qualifying offer from the Dodgers in November. The Dodgers are again offering to defer part of Hernández’s salary, according to McKain, which would decrease the contract’s present-day value.
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