The Los Angeles Dodgers reportedly continued their high-profile offseason spending on Sunday as the club bolstered its lineup with the signing of another former All-Star.
The Dodgers reached an agreement with free-agent outfielder Teoscar Hernández on a one-year, $23.5 million contract, according to ESPN’s Jeff Passan. Hernández, a 2021 All-Star with the Toronto Blue Jays, reportedly spurned “other multiyear offers” to head to L.A., his fourth team, following a one-year stint with the Seattle Mariners.
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Sunday’s reported deal marks another seismic move in free agency for L.A., as the 31-year-old Hernández becomes the latest marquee name to join since the signings of Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Tyler Glasnow.
Interestingly, Hernández’s contract, similar to Ohtani’s, will see the eight-year veteran defer money, with $8.5 million set to be paid out from 2030 to 2039, per Passan.
The uniquely structured deals will help keep the new-look Dodgers open to future moves, though the addition of Hernández figures to give the team a valuable piece in its batting order and the outfield all year long.
A career .261 hitter, Hernández slashed .258/.305/.435 with Seattle, logging 26 home runs, 29 doubles and two triples in 160 games. His previous stops include his rookie year with the Astros in 2016, and the next six with Toronto, where he slashed .263/.320/.503, earned an All-Star nod and won two Silver Slugger awards.
