Dodgers and Blue Jays have made dueling offers to Teoscar Hernandez: report

According to a new report, both the Los Angeles Dodgers and Toronto Blue Jays are interested in reuniting with outfielder Teoscar Hernández as a free agent.

Doug McKain of Dodgers Nation reported Thursday that both teams have three-year offers for the 32-year-old outfielder, who recently reopened talks with the Dodgers after helping them win the 2024 World Series.

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Speaking to reporters at the Winter Meetings in Dallas, president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said he was “hopeful” about bringing Hernández back to Los Angeles.

“He had a really good year,” Friedman said of Hernández. “He’s put himself in a great position and I know he’s talked about wanting to (re-sign) and I know we’ve talked about wanting to do that and he and his family can have the interests go through and figure out what.” makes the most sense to them.

“While we’re hopeful,” Friedman said, “if he ends up signing somewhere else, we’ll have no choice but to wish him well, and on a personal level we’ll be very happy for him and professionally, not so much.” .”

Hernández hit 33 home runs with 99 runs batted in and an OPS of .840 in 2024. In July, he was named to the All-Star team and became the first Dodgers player ever to win the Home Run Derby.

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In six seasons in Toronto (2017-22), Hernández won two American League Silver Slugger Awards and slashed .263/.320/.503 in 609 games. As a corner outfielder, he offers a logical alternative option for teams that have waived free agent Juan Soto.

The Blue Jays, Dodgers, New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox all met with and offered contracts to Soto, who ultimately signed a 15-year, $765 million contract with the New York Mets.

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In January, the Dodgers signed Hernández as a free agent to a $23.5 million deferred contract after he had a down year with the Seattle Mariners. He became a fan favorite in Los Angeles.

According to McKain, Hernández now has three-year offers on the table from the Blue Jays and Dodgers and has also drawn interest from other teams.

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While the New York Yankees are said to be focusing on other priorities — they’re reportedly talking to the Houston Astros about signing outfielder Kyle Tucker — they haven’t completely dropped out of the race to sign Hernández, either, according to McKain. The Red Sox also remain committed.

According to McKain, the Cincinnati Reds and Philadelphia Phillies have also reached out to Hernández, while the Baltimore Orioles have turned their attention elsewhere, preferring not to forgo the draft pick needed to sign a player, who received and rejected a qualifying offer.

Hernández declined a qualifying offer from the Dodgers in November. According to McKain, the Dodgers are again offering to defer a portion of Hernández’s salary, which would reduce the current value of the contract.

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