Dodgers’ All-Star Slugger Predicted to Bolt for $85 Million Deal With Yankees

Outfielder Teoscar Hernández played a significant role in the Los Angeles Dodgers beating the New York Yankees in the 2024 World Series. The right-handed slugger is now a free agent. Could he bolt from Hollywood in favor of a lucrative contract in the Bronx?

While Hernández had multi-year offers on the table last winter, he opted to sign a one-year, $23.5 million deal to join the Dodgers. That proved to be a terrific decision for the 32-year-old.

He hit .272/.339/.501 with 33 home runs, 32 doubles, 99 RBI and 84 runs scored in 652 plate appearances for Los Angeles. This performance led to his second All-Star Game selection, third Silver Slugger Award and a 19th-place finish in National League MVP Award voting.

Hernández is expected to sign quickly this winter. The Dodgers appear to be favorites to land him. But now that he's on the open market, anything can happen. New York has reportedly viewed the outfielder as a potential Plan B should Juan Soto sign elsewhere – if he's available.

JustBaseball's Ryan Finkelstein thinks Hernández will still be on the open market for the Yankees to scoop up on a five-year, $85 million deal.

"Since 2019, Tesocar is one of just a few hitters who has eclipsed 25 home runs in every full season. His 158 home runs over that span rank 15th in MLB," he wrote. "Many teams will call Hernandez to add some power to their lineup, but the differentiating factor in negotiations may come down to who is willing to commit the most years to him."

According to Spotrac's estimation for Hernández's market value, this would be a slight overpay by the Yankees, which they value at three years and $71 million. But it could happen because of a bidding war. We'll have to just wait and see what happens now.