Third Time is the Charm: Hernandez Wins Sliver…
Teoscar Hernández bet on himself last offseason by passing up multi-year offers to sign with the Los Angeles Dodgers on a one-year contract in effort to regain some of his value.
Hernández had one of his least productive seasons during 2023 with the Seattle Mariners, batting just .258/.305/.435 with a 106 wRC+. He attributed a lot of that to not being able to pick up the ball well when hitting at T-Mobile Park.
With the Dodgers, he bounced back in a huge way, hitting .272/.339/.501 with a 134 wRC+ en route to winning his third Silver Slugger Award and second selection to the All-MLB Team.
After being named a Silver Slugger winner, Hernández shared what it means to him on MLB Network:
“It means a lot, because if you go back, there were a lot of good players. In their years, there were so many good players that didn’t win any because there were Hall of Fame players, guys that hit the ball, hit homers, drive in runs. A lot of good guys spent a lot of time in the league and never win more than one or never got one. You see their numbers and wonder how that guy never got a Silver Slugger. So for me, proud of the work I put in every single day to be on the field producing and putting up good numbers. I feel blessed right now.”
Hernández finished the season with 32 doubles, two triples, 33 home runs, 99 RBI and 12 stolen bases. He led National League outfielders in home runs, slugging percentage, RBI and a 14.9% barrel rate.
The 32-year-old also posted a 4.3 bWAR, the highest mark of his career, and a 137 OPS+, his best mark over a full 162-game regular season. Hernández’s 3.5 fWAR was the second highest mark of his career, but it was his most productive season at the plate.
Hernández now enters the free agent market primed for a significant raise to the one-year, $23.5 million contract he signed for 2024. He is projected to get a contract around three-years with an average annual value of roughly $25 million.
Teoscar Hernández free agency interest
The Dodgers have interest in re-signing Hernández, and he has expressed his desire to stay in L.A.
However, MLB is a business first, and sometimes things don’t work out as the sides hope. If that ends up being the case, Hernández won’t have any shortage of suitors.
The Boston Red Sox and Baltimore Orioles have expressed interest in signing Hernández, and the New York Yankees could jump in the mix if they miss out on re-signing Juan Soto.
