Last offseason, the Los Angeles Dodgers signed star outfielder Teoscar Hernández to a one-year contract. After a successful season in Los Angeles, Hernández is set to enter free agency yet again, this time projected to land a three-year contract worth north of $70 million according to Spotrac.
Hernández is generating a lot of interest early on in free agency, with multiple American League East teams throwing their names in the hat early on.
MLB Network’s Jon Morosi recently reported on the increased interest in Hernández.
“Teoscar Hernández is drawing interest from the Red Sox and Orioles in free agency, sources say. Other clubs are involved, too. Baltimore and Boston have similar needs for right-handed power,” Morosi wrote in a post to Twitter/X.
Boston Red Sox
As Morosi stated, the Red Sox have already shown their interest in the projected $70 million star.
Boston needs to add right-handed bats to their lineup and free agency is the perfect place to do it. Hernández played in the AL East for years as a member of the Toronto Blue Jays, so the Red Sox know his talent very well.
Slotting Hernández into a lineup that’s already loaded with talent would be a big move for Boston. The 32-year-old has also been quite vocal regarding his love for both Fenway Park and Red Sox Nation.
Baltimore Orioles
Much like the Red Sox, Baltimore has already shown their interest in Hernández.
A decision for Baltimore would likely come down to which outfielder they want more: Anthony Santander or Hernández.
With a young core of infielders and multiple players entering free agency, Baltimore will need to buy big in free agency or it’ll be left in the dust in the AL East. Hernández makes sense for their roster and their cap space. Outbidding the Dodgers and Blue Jays could become a problem though.
Toronto Blue Jays
The Blue Jays have been one of the top teams mentioned around Hernández for the last few weeks and for good reason. The star outfielder spent six years in Toronto during the first chunk of his career, so the comfortability is already there.
Toronto is now behind the 8-ball in their division with the New York Yankees, Orioles, Tampa Bay Rays, and Red Sox all trending in the right direction. This offseason, Toronto needs to be aggressive or it’s going to get left behind.
Atlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves have found themselves in quite a predicament this offseason. They severely underachieved in 2024, but a lot of it had to do with injuries. Ronald Acuña Jr. won’t be back until around the midseason mark and Atlanta needs to find a reliable outfielder.
While they haven’t been directly connected to Hernández yet, the fit makes too much sense to not mention. Atlanta is losing Adam Duvall this winter and Hernández would be the perfect replacement that wouldn’t break the bank.
Philadelphia Phillies
The Philadelphia Phillies have been rumored to have interest in just about every right-handed-hitting outfielder that’s been available in the last few months.
With Hernández hitting the open market, Philadelphia will absolutely be involved in his free-agency negotiations.
The belief in this should be strengthened after reports came out indicating that the Phillies could look to move right-handed outfielder Nick Castellanos this winter. Hernández would be the perfect replacement if they move him.
Pittsburgh Pirates
The top teams in the league will be issuing their money to the best players. Teams like the New York Mets, Yankees, Dodgers, and Blue Jays will all be throwing crazy amounts of cash at guys like Corbin Burnes and Juan Soto.
That leaves the small market teams like the Pittsburgh Pirates with the ability to overpay for the next tier of stars.
Pittsburgh needs to buy in a big way while they have Paul Skenes on their roster for as cheap as his contract is. The Pirates haven’t seen a star like this in quite so time so they need to take their shot at winning while they have him.
Last offseason, Pittsburgh forked up $10 million to bring Aroldis Chapman to town to be a middle reliever. They could fork up $70 million or $80 million to bring Hernández to the Steel City.
Los Angeles Dodgers
Hernández voiced his readiness to return to Los Angeles shortly after the World Series victory. And who could blame him?
If the Dodgers can match the contracts that Hernández is offered from any other team, there’s no better situation that he could land in. He’s comfortable and familiar with the Dodgers and he could find himself a key part of one of the best dynasties in the last 50 years.
Money will always rule over everything, but if Hernández had his choice, I see him returning to Los Angeles with Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman and Dave Roberts.
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