The latest on Teoscar Hernandez
While most in the baseball world thought that a Los Angeles Dodgers reunion with Teoscar Hernandez would be a done deal early in free agency, it appears the Dodgers and Hernandez's camp have not been unable to get a contract done due to the AVV and term.
Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports that Hernandez is looking for a three year deal that will guarantee him $22-24 Million range annually.
The Toronto Blue Jays should have no problem trying to meet or exceed these numbers. I suspect that the term is the issue here for Ross Atkins.
The 32-year-old slugger remains unsigned, reportedly juggling offers from the Jays, Red Sox and Yankees.
Being that both are AL East rivals of the Blue Jays, Ross Atkins may have no choice but to out bid these teams.
Especially because the Bronx Bombers and Bosox have made more moves to improve their clubs recently.
Hernandez drew well below-average marks for his defense, but Hernandez has plus speed and above-average arm strength, per Statcast,
I suspect the defensive concerns do make a multi-year reunion with the Blue Jays a potentially problematic pairing for Ross Atkins's defense first thought process, however most fans would agree that offense is what the Jays need to compete in the AL East in 2025.
Hernandez turned in a .272/.339/.501 slash with a career-high 33 home runs last season before going on to hit .250/.352/.417 in postseason play.
His 28.8% strikeout rate was an improvement over his 31.1% mark from 2023 but still sat about six percentage points higher than league average.
His 8.1% walk rate was the second-best of his career but fell right in line with the 8.2% league average.
At this point, the Blue Jays can expect plus power, a below-average walk rate and more strikeouts than they'd prefer from Hernandez, but his knack for performing under pressure and in the big moment under the lights make him a very desirable free agent for any team.
| POLL | ||
DECEMBRE 17 | 218 ANSWERS The latest on Teoscar Hernandez Who will sign Teoscar Hernandez? | ||
| Los Angeles Dodgers | 60 | 27.5 % |
| Toronto Blue Jays | 106 | 48.6 % |
| Boston Red Sox | 41 | 18.8 % |
| New York Yankees | 11 | 5 % |
| List of polls | ||
