Dominican outfielder Teoscar Hernandez and the Dodgers have reached an agreement for one year and $23.5 million, a source told Juan Toribio of MLB.com. The club has yet to confirm the deal.
A consistent source of power, Hernandez is one of 12 players to hit at least 25 home runs in the past four full seasons. That includes 26 homers last year with the Mariners, who he joined after an offseason trade from Toronto. However, his 2023 did not live up to expectations for a player who received MVP votes and was a Silver Slugger winner in 2020 and 2021.
After posting a wRC+ of 130 or higher in each of his last three years with the Blue Jays, Hernandez has a wRC+ of 105 with the Mariners. His wOBA fell to .336 for the third year in a row, and his .741 OPS was his lowest since his first year with the Astros in 2016. Hernandez had just 100 at-bats before being traded to the Blue Jays before the 2017 deadline with Houston.
Plate discipline has never really been Hernandez’s strength, and that was especially true last season. His swing rate on pitches outside the strike zone was the worst of his career, at 35.2%. He posted a career-low 5.6% walk rate against a 31.1% strikeout rate. His 211 strikeouts and 35.8% empty swing percentage were the most among qualified players.
Hernandez often does damage when he makes contact, as evidenced by his 49.4% hard-hit rate and 13.8% strikeout rate. Posting a .302 average, .659 slugging percentage and an extremely high 72.4% hard-hit rate, the 31-year-old really punished pitchers when they threw four-seam fastballs at him.
He’s not an elite defender, but Hernandez provides value in the outfield thanks to his strong arm in right field. His 12 assists last season were tied for third among all outfielders, and his 22 assists over the past two seasons trails only the Nationals’ Lane Thomas.
Hernandez’s most productive full season to date came in 2021, when he hit 32 home runs, drove in 116 runs and posted a .296/.346/.524 line with Toronto.
