The last time Teoscar Hernández stared into the crowd at Dodger Stadium, the veteran outfielder nearly burst into tears.
“I just want to thank you,” Hernández said last Friday during the Dodgers’ World Series celebration at Chavez Ravine after playing a crucial role in the club’s first full-season championship since 1988.
Hernández then stopped and became choked with emotions. Before him, more than 40,000 fans began to roar with appreciation.
“I play this game to win,” Hernández continued, the serenade from the stands intensifying with every word. “And the Dodgers gave me the opportunity to come here so I could help this organization, this team, these people, this city win a championship. You have made this dream come true. Thank you for making me a world champion.”
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Without Hernández, the Dodgers might not have had a championship to celebrate.
After signing a one-year, $23.5 million contract last offseason, he became one of the key players in the Dodgers’ indomitable lineup, with 33 home runs and 99 RBIs in the regular season, plus several key hits, including his score-tying two-run double in Game 5 of the World Series – during their postseason run to a title.
A week later, Hernández is back on the free-agent market, where his resurgent performance will make him a more coveted commodity than he was last winter. And as the Dodgers evaluate their plans for this winter, whether or not they keep him could be a deciding factor for the entire offseason.
As general manager Brandon Gomes acknowledged Wednesday, the club’s focus this winter will be on strengthening the outfield. That was already the case before Gomes announced that rightfielder Mookie Betts will likely move back to the infield next year. Now it’s a glaring need with few obvious solutions.
The Dodgers don’t have an established everyday outfielder on their roster, with only platoons like Andy Pages, Chris Taylor and James Outman under club control for next season.
The team could shift utility man Tommy Edman, who got most of his playing time at shortstop in October, to an everyday role in center field. The Dodgers’ top prospect, catcher Dalton Rushing, can also provide depth after finishing as a left fielder in triple A this season.
But this season, much of the Dodgers’ offensive success has revolved around Hernández’s consistent, clutch hitting.
And — barring a run on free-agent superstar Juan Soto, 26 — it could be a struggle for the Dodgers to find attractive alternatives if they don’t bring back Hernández.
“Teo was a big part of what we accomplished this year,” Gomes said Wednesday during Major League Baseball general manager meetings. “You could see it very clearly on the field. Big impact in the clubhouse with younger guys, his energy. So we will have discussions with Teo and his group as soon as possible.
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The good news for the Dodgers: Hernández’s desire is to stay in Los Angeles on a long-term contract. The 32-year-old native of the Dominican Republic enjoyed his first season with the organization, earning his second All-Star selection, becoming the club’s first Home Run Derby winner and posting the second-highest batting average (. 272) and on-base-plus-slugging percentage (.840) over his nine-year career.
In the clubhouse, he played a key leadership role, forming bonds with everyone from Shohei Ohtani (Hernández was one of the first Dodgers to hook up with the $700 million star during spring training) to younger faces like Pages (who led Hernández under his took care). his wing during the rookie’s solid season).
And after playing for three teams over the past three seasons, Hernández is hoping to find stability in the Southland. He told reporters after Friday’s stadium celebration that his “hopes are very high” to re-sign with the Dodgers.
“The Dodgers are obviously the priority,” he said. “I’m going to do everything I can to come back.”
The question is whether the Dodgers feel as strongly about it, and whether they will be willing to reward him with the three-year contract he is reportedly seeking.
In the short term, keeping Hernández seems like a no-brainer for the Dodgers.
He could move to right field, his strongest defensive position. He was able to maintain continuity in the lineup, where he formed a powerful top four with Ohtani, Betts and Freddie Freeman. And he could help preserve the clubhouse culture that fueled the Dodgers’ October run.
If the team plans to “run it back” with the same roster core — something manager Dave Roberts and a few players have already hinted they hope to see — re-signing Hernández would be a top priority.
However, the Dodgers front office, which declined to participate in expansion talks with Hernandez’s agents during the season, is also considering long-term risks in personnel evaluations. And giving a 32-year-old player who has one of the highest annual strikeouts in the league a lucrative three-year contract — Hernández is expected to receive between $60 million and $70 million on the open market — would be a break with their usual contracts. operational procedure.
Still, the risk of losing Hernández should also factor into their decision-making.
The only better outfielder in this free agent class is Soto. He is expected to spark a bidding war between the New York Yankees and the New York Mets, which could push his price tag as high as $700 million, a staggering amount that would even exceed the deep-seated Dodgers, who signed Ohtani to a heavily delayed deal last winter , could increase. , could be wary of spending money again.
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The rest of the market is led by the likes of Anthony Santander, Tyler O’Neill and Jurickson Profar, while other veterans like Alex Verdugo, Jesse Winker, Randal Grichuk and Tommy Pham are also available as cheaper options.
The Dodgers could also explore the trade market — they still have a vaunted farm system and might be tempted to sign second baseman Gavin Lux now that Betts is set to return to the infield — but there probably won’t be many impact bats are not available there either.
That’s why, as the Dodgers try to map out their winter plans, Hernández looms as one of the key pivots of the offseason. And if they fail to re-sign him, they will have to defend their championship without one of the players most responsible for winning it.
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This story originally appeared in the Los Angeles Times.
