Hernandez Hold Up: What’s Causing the Delay in Toescar Contract Signing with the Dodgers?

The Los Angeles Dodgers have locked down a number of free agents this winter, but the team is still attempting to finalize a deal with outfielder Teoscar Hernández.

At the MLB Winter Meetings, Bob Nightengale of USA Today spoke exclusively with Dodgers Nation’s Doug McKain regarding the status of Hernández in free agency.

“I think pursuits have gotten more heavy from other teams, the teams that didn’t get (Juan) Soto.” Nightengale said. “I still think he ends up with the Dodgers, maybe for a little bit more money than the Dodgers originally thought.

“I would imagine that Teoscar Hernández would love to get that fourth year instead of making it a three-year, $65, $70 million contract  then it’s a four-year, over $80 million.”

The stall in negotiations seems to be over how many years Hernández’s contract would be, according to Nightengale. While the Dodgers try to fine tune a deal with the fan favorite, there are other clubs that have expressed serious interest in Hernández, including the Boston Red Sox, Toronto Blue Jays, and New York Yankees.

All three clubs lost out on star outfielder Juan Soto and it was expected that the losers in the Soto sweepstakes would turn their focus to Hernández.

Earlier this week, president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman gave insight on the negotiations between the Dodgers and Hernández.

“It’s hard for me to answer,” Friedman said. “He had a really good year. He put himself in a great position and I know he has talked about wanting to and I know that we have talked about him wanting to and he and his family get to go through the interest and figure out what makes the most sense for them. So while we’re hopeful, at the same time, if he ends up signing somewhere else, we have no choice but to wish him well, and on a personal level we’ll be really happy for him and professionally not so much.”

Before the Winter Meetings, it seemed like Hernández returning to the Dodgers was a guarantee. But in just a few days, there is a sense of uncertainty.