After adding Kyle Tucker to their outfield in a shocking turn of events, the Los Angeles Dodgers have a Teoscar Hernandez decision to make. Early on in the offseason, Hernandez’s name floated around in trade discussions but never really caught steam as a legit trade candidate before the Dodgers shut those rumors down. However, that was before they signed Kyle Tucker to play right field at Dodger Stadium for the next four years.
The addition of Tucker moves Hernandez to left field which is not a new development. The discussion of moving Hernandez to left was one the Dodgers were having dating back to the beginning of the offseason. If the Dodgers do hold on to him, he will be the Dodgers left fielder, but that might not be something the Dodgers actually want.
Teoscar Hernandez's current fit on the Dodgers
The two-time all-star and now two-time World Series champ had somewhat of a renaissance with the Dodgers in 2024 after signing a one year flyer with LA. Hernandez hit a career-high 34 home runs along with a 132 wRC+ and 3.4 fWAR in 2024, but regressed to just a 102 wRC+ and 0.6 fWAR.
If Hernandez isn’t consistently hitting at an above-average level, he is just a liability in the outfield due to the fact he’s just a league-average defender at best. As long as Shohei Ohtani is healthy, there is no reason for Hernandez to be in the DH role.
With that being said, this could be the time to move Hernandez because he could handcuff the active roster rather than providing it with flexibility if he doesn’t right the ship in 2026. There is a need for a player like Hernandez on multiple teams, especially when you factor in his postseason success and the fact that he’s not particularly expensive. His contract is worth $66 million across three years (two remaining) with the AAV being $19.9 million with a small amount of deferrals factored in. Despite coming off of a down year compared to 2024, the Dodgers aren’t in a sell low situation with Hernandez, but they could be soon if they hold on to him for too long.
Fortunately for the Dodgers, if they do hold on to Hernandez and he doesn’t return to 2024 form, it’s not going to hurt their checkbook considering they basically grow money on trees at this point. But regardless of how much money they spend, the Dodgers are the best organization in baseball because they know how to spend money on the right players.
There is likely a healthy market for Teoscar Hernandez
If signing Kyle Tucker and Edwin Diaz after winning back-to-back World Series doesn’t make this obvious, the Dodgers are intent on maximizing their roster. A trade involving Teoscar Hernandez could return them some pitching depth, specifically in the bullpen, which is something they are always looking to add. He could also potentially return a package of prospects or a near-MLB ready outfield prospect to slide right into some playing time in the Dodgers outfield.
Teoscar Hernandez certainly has some value in the current trade market. The Dodgers are not yet on the record stating that they have changed their minds about holding on to Hernandez, but to assume they aren’t entertaining the idea of moving Hernandez after adding Kyle Tucker would be unwise.