One Move Away: Dodgers Can Clinch Title Contention with…
The Los Angeles Dodgers just won the World Series but that isn’t stopping the organization from being aggressive.
Los Angeles reportedly signed two-time Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell to a five-year deal worth $182 million, according to ESPN’s Jeff Passan. Now, the Dodgers’ starting rotation should be pretty much set aside from possibly re-signing Clayton Kershaw and maybe even pursuing phenom Rōki Sasaki.
The Dodgers may need to add a little more offense to the outfield, though. Teoscar Hernández was a revelation for the team in 2024, but he is a free agent and is expensive. It would be fantastic to have him back, but if he decides to sign elsewhere, there are other options that could help.
Because of this, ESPN’s David Schoenfield urged Los Angeles to sign former St. Louis Cardinals and Boston Red Sox slugger Tyler O’Neill to a projected $50 million deal.
“Los Angeles Dodgers sign OF Tyler O’Neill (3 years, $50 million),” Schoenfield said. “We had to pinch hit here: Our big move for the Dodgers was signing Blake Snell … and then they signed Blake Snell (or at least agreed to terms). Do the Dodgers have another major signing or trade? Sure. Re-signing Teoscar Hernandez is probably the priority here, especially if they are moving Mookie Betts back to the infield.
“But the rules are we can’t do that, so let’s give the Dodgers another outfielder in O’Neill. He had a great bounce-back season with the Red Sox after dealing with some injuries the previous two years, slugging .511 with 31 home runs in 113 games in 2024. Like Hernandez, O’Neill crushed lefties, so he would be a nice fit in the lineup between Freddie Freeman and Max Muncy. And he’s a better outfielder than Hernandez.”
O’Neill would be a great replacement for Hernandez at a cheaper cost. It doesn’t seem like money is a problem for the Dodgers, so maybe they have another splash in them.
