Dodgers’ $69 Million All-Star Slugger Predicted to Bolt for NL Central Team
The biggest splash of the Cincinnati Reds’ offseason thus far is hiring Terry Francona to be their manager. They’ve had just three winning seasons since 2014 and haven’t won more than 83 games on any of those occasions. Could the front office give this club extra offensive firepower by stealing outfielder Teoscar Hernández from the Los Angeles Dodgers?
Hernández bet on himself last winter by signing a one-year, $23.5 million deal with LA and it paid off in spades. The 32-year-old earned his second All-Star Game selection and third Silver Slugger Award thanks to a .840 OPS with 33 home runs, 99 RBI and 84 runs scored in 652 plate appearances.
After winning the World Series with the Dodgers, it seemed likely that the right-handed slugger would re-sign with Los Angeles quickly. But now the Winter Meetings are right around the corner and Hernández is still available. The longer a player lingers on the open market, it gives other interested teams more of a chance to steal him away. While picking one Black Friday free-agent deal for every club, The Athletic’s Andy McCullough predicts Hernández will leave Hollywood and land with the Cincinnati Reds.
“The Reds lured Terry Francona out of retirement by selling the prospect of winning with a young core. The lineup could use a cleanup hitter. Owner Bob Castellini has supported payrolls beyond $100 million in the past, and he can certainly afford to do so again in 2025,” McCullough wrote. “Yeah, we’re forcing the issue. Hernández will probably just rejoin the Dodgers. Or head to New York to join the Mets. Or to Atlanta. Or to Seattle. But it’s worth considering!”
Tim Britton of The Athletic projected Hernández will sign a three-year, $69 million deal this winter. That’s close to Spotrac’s market-value estimate, which checks in at three years and $71 million.
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