Dodgers fans might riot if the team doesn’t re-sign Teoscar Hernández during the offseason. Hernández has an All-Star appearance, a Home Run Derby win, 31 homers, and 93 RBI in his first year with the Dodgers, and he’s been a more constant presence in the lineup than anyone except Shohei Ohtani. He stayed consistent during the two months when the Dodgers were without Mookie Betts and Max Muncy, and was a massive highlight even in some of LA’s weakest-looking lineups in years.
Hernández has made it clear that he wants to stay in LA after his one-year deal is up. He said as much in primetime, during a mic’ed up half-inning on Apple TV’s Friday Night Baseball. It sounds like all the Dodgers have to do is put a contract in front of him, and they shouldn’t let that opportunity pass them by.
Bob Nightengale, speaking to Dodgers Nation’s Doug McKain, gave a vague idea of the kind of contract Hernández might be looking at in free agency: “A five-year deal for over $100 million.” That’s a good ballpark estimate, but we can get a little more specific.
Teoscar’s 30th homer for the lead! pic.twitter.com/vqYg9TsoSm
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) September 21, 2024
What could a new Dodgers-Teoscar Hernández contract look like when slugger hits free agency?
Five years and $100 million flat makes an AAV of $20 million, and Hernández certainly deserves more than that per year when he’ll eventually get $23.5 million from the Dodgers for this year in LA (he has $8.5 million in deferrals to be paid out from 2030 to 2039). Looking at players who are making exactly $25 million this year — Giancarlo Stanton, Marcus Semien, George Springer, and Jose Altuve — $25 million seems like a safe guess for a potential AAV…