Ranking Top 9 Landing Spots for Dodgers' Teoscar Hernández Ahead of MLB Free Agency

Teoscar Hernández had the misfortune of getting traded to the Seattle Mariners by the Toronto Blue Jays before his original contract year, which meant he had to play 81 home games at the notoriously hitter-unfriendly T-Mobile Park in 2023. That led to a .741 OPS, his lowest mark over a full season in his career.

However, Los Angeles Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman saw an opportunity to get Hernández on the rebound last winter. They struck in January by signing the slugging outfielder to a one-year, $23.5 million contract.

Getting to hit in a lineup with Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman and Will Smith, Hernández's second contract year went much better than the first. Hernández was selected to the All-Star Game for the second time in his career, hitting a career-high 33 home runs, driving in 99 runs, and posting a .840 OPS.

It will be interesting to see how Hernández is valued when free agency rolls around this offseason. He's an excellent run producer, but he certainly isn't perfect. His defensive metrics have been mixed, as he had -8 defensive runs saved in left field this season, though he had 5 DRS in right field. He turned 32 during the team's World Series run.

Perhaps the biggest determining factor for Hernández will be whether the Dodgers extend a qualifying offer to him. On the surface, it would seem obvious for the Dodgers to extend a $21.05 million QO to Hernández. If he accepts it, great. If not, you can still sign him and will get some draft-pick compensation if he signs elsewhere. However, Hernández was paid $15 million by the Dodgers in 2024, with $850,000 in deferrals set to be paid out from 2030 to 2039 that get him to $23.5 million. If he takes the QO, there won't be any deferrals.

With all this acknowledged, here's a look at nine teams that would make sense as fits for one of the more likable players in the sport in free agency.

Signing Hernández away from the division-rival Dodgers would be quite the splash for new president of baseball operations Buster Posey. It would make some sense for the Giants, though they have some things working against them.

First of all, they surrendered draft-pick compensation last offseason to sign both Blake Snell and Matt Chapman. They will not get any draft-pick compensation back if Snell opts out of his deal—which he almost certainly will—and leaves in free agency.

Thus, it might not be best for the long-term planning of the organization to give up more draft picks to sign Hernández if he does indeed receive and decline the qualifying offer from the Dodgers. He's a nice player, but he's not someone who puts them over the top in a deep division.

That may all be a moot point anyway. Hernández saw what playing in Seattle for a season did to his offensive numbers. Oracle Park might be the most beautiful stadium in the sport, but it consistently grades out as one of the least hitter-friendly parks in baseball. That alone might be disqualifying for Hernández unless the Giants are willing to give him hazard pay.

Hernández will be a popular player to connect to the Phillies this offseason, given that he would balance out a lineup that is very left-handed and represents an offensive upgrade over Brandon Marsh, who has some clear limitations, particularly against left-handed pitching.

But while Hernández is a very good player that a contender like the Phillies should at least consider, he probably doesn't fit the profile of what they need around their stars.

As is, a Phillies lineup led by Bryce Harper, Kyle Schwarber, Trea Turner and Nick Castellanos is too reliant on one or two swings winning them games. Schwarber, for all he does well, struck out 197 times this past season. Turner and Castellanos are both free swingers who are streaky.

There are quite a few teams that make sense as landing spots for Hernández. But the Phillies need to surround their stars with someone who puts the ball in play more consistently. Hernández—who is second only to Schwarber in strikeouts over the past two seasons—doesn't really fit that description.

Three AL Central teams reached the postseason in 2024. The Twins collapsed in September, going 9-18 and allowing the Detroit Tigers to join the Cleveland Guardians and Kansas City Royals in the playoffs instead of them.

Even if they get to play the lowly Chicago White Sox 13 times a year, it's clear the Twins need to make some upgrades to compete in the improved AL Central. The corner outfield is a clear area that President of Baseball Operations Derek Falvey could target.

Former All-Star Max Kepler will likely be allowed to leave in free agency after playing part of 10 seasons with the Twins after posting a .726 OPS over the past three years.

Manuel Margot failed to be an adequate fourth outfielder for a team that regularly needs someone to step in for center fielder Byron Buxton when he's injured. He actually ended up being the primary left fielder for the Twins this season and posted a minuscule .626 OPS.

Matt Wallner posted a .894 OPS for the Twins over 75 games after a similarly impressive 76-game stint in Minnesota in 2023. But he got off to a slow start and spent the year going back and forth to Triple-A St. Paul.

Trevor Larnach is another player who had some impressive stretches in 2024 but isn't a sure thing going into 2025.

It's possible the Twins will decide to bring in an outfielder who requires less of a commitment than Hernández, given there's definitely a scenario in which Wallner and/or Larnach end up being impact corner outfield and/or DH options. But it wouldn't hurt to have more of a sure thing in Hernández in case one or both falter.

Hernández spent parts of six seasons with the Blue Jays from 2017-2022, hitting 129 home runs and winning consecutive Silver Slugger Awards from 2020-2021. The Blue Jays traded Hernández to the Mariners in November 2022, but he was popular during his time in the 6.

The Blue Jays are stuck with a declining George Springer in right field for two more seasons, but they have needs in left field and at DH that Hernández could help fill.

There's an argument that the Blue Jays should take a step back after finishing 74-88 this past season, particularly if they can't reach long-term deals with Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and/or Bo Bichette before their contract years.

But all indications are that general manager Ross Atkins believes the Blue Jays can contend in 2025, and if that's going to be the case, bringing back Hernández would make them a better team next year.

Remember when the Nationals overpaid to lure Jayson Werth away from the division-rival Phillies after the 2010 season, giving him a seven-year, $126 million deal that shocked executives around the sport?

We're not saying Hernández will get a seven-year deal this offseason. Nor do the Nationals necessarily have Bryce Harper or Stephen Strasburg to build around this time. But with James Wood, Luis García Jr. and CJ Abrams, there's much to like about this young lineup.

President of baseball operations Mike Rizzo—the man who signed Werth all those years back—knows he has a lot of young talent in his lineup and talked about the possibility of adding veterans in free agency this offseason.

"I'm not saying that's not going to continue, but we're certainly not going to be keyholed by one-year deals for free agents," Rizzo said, per MLB.com's Jessica Camerato. "I think it's time to spend at a point. We're going to see who's available and what fits that we have out there. But I think that it's time for us to add to the roster, because we've got a good young core group of guys, and some veteran leadership I think is warranted."

With Wood in left field and Dylan Crews in right field, maybe the Nationals would prefer to add a veteran infielder. However, there are defensive questions about Wood, who had -7 defensive runs saved across 697.2 innings this season. There are clearly some maturity questions with Abrams. Whether it's as a corner outfielder, DH, or some combination, Hernández would check off a lot of boxes for the Nats.

The Tigers will probably be a popular landing spot pick for Alex Bregman when free agency starts, as he would be reunited with former manager A.J. Hinch and give Detroit's upstart lineup one of the most accomplished postseason hitters of all time.

One way or another, it feels like the Tigers should build off the incredible momentum from the second half of the season and add an accomplished veteran to their lineup. Hernández could be the primary right fielder for Detroit, adding a 30-home run, 100-RBI bat to a lineup that's still young and developing.

The Tigers may opt to move forward with Matt Vierling as their primary right fielder, particularly if they do make a move to add a veteran starting infielder like Bregman. But they are definitely a team to watch in free agency this winter.

We'll see just how committed owner Bob Nutting is to spending this offseason, but the Pirates have a legitimate superstar in likely NL Rookie of the Year Paul Skenes. They would be wise to try to maximize the window in which A) he's healthy and B) he hasn't gotten more expensive than Nutting is willing to pay for.

General manager Ben Cherington did try to make some moves this past trade deadline when the Pirates were 55-53 and still in the NL wild-card race. But additions like Bryan De La Cruz didn't pan out, and the Pirates went 21-33 over the last two months of the season. De La Cruz will now be a non-tender candidate, and the Pirates must look elsewhere to improve their roster.

Franchise icon Andrew McCutchen indicated a desire to return for the 2025 season back in September, and given that he still hit 20 home runs and posted a .739 OPS, Pittsburgh may very well carve out a role for the former NL MVP for one more season.

Still, this team needs more thump, and Hernández would give them that. He could be the starting right fielder in the early years of a three- or four-year contract, and potentially shift to DH once McCutchen is finished playing.

That is if Nutting is willing to pay to improve his team.

2024 was a magical year for the Royals, who returned to the postseason for the first time since winning the World Series in 2015 and swept the Baltimore Orioles in two games in the Wild Card Series.

With that said, there was probably a ceiling on how far this team could go given how top-heavy their lineup was. Bobby Witt Jr. will finish runner-up in AL MVP voting, and Salvador Perez continued to add to a resume that may very well land him a plaque in Cooperstown one day. But the only two other regulars to post an OPS above .690 were Vinnie Pasquantino (.760) and Michael Massey (.743).

At least one more big bat must be added this winter by the president of baseball operations, J.J. Picollo, for the Royals to win the AL Central and make an even deeper postseason run in 2025.

Hunter Renfroe—the team's primary right fielder this past season—will likely pick up his $7.57 million player option for 2025 after hitting .229 with 15 home runs this past season. But Hernández would be an upgrade both in right field and at DH for the Royals, giving them a veteran presence who could get at-bats at either spot in manager Matt Quatraro's lineup.

It felt like Hernández on the Dodgers would be a one-year arrangement, but there's reason to believe it makes sense for both sides to extend their relationship.

For Hernández, it's quite simple: He gets to hit in a loaded lineup that would give him a chance to be among the RBI leaders and play in the World Series every season. The Dodgers also wouldn't have to surrender draft-pick compensation to sign him if he declines the qualifying offer, which might mean they are willing to make more of a financial commitment.

Particularly if the Dodgers envision Mookie Betts spending some or all of his time in the infield moving forward, their outfield would be unimpressive next season if they lose Hernández. James Outman struggled mightily in 2024 after a breakout 2023 campaign. It's unclear how much Andy Pages will give Los Angeles at the plate. Tommy Edman is under contract for $9.5 million in 2025 but is probably more of a super-utility player than someone who starts 150 games at one specific outfield spot.

Bringing Hernández back on a three-year contract would be the best move for both sides.