The Los Angeles Dodgers came up short this season.
After back-to-back World Series championships, they were swept out of the NLCS by the Milwaukee Brewers, with their season ending on Thursday. And while many players will be back, some change could be coming.
Teoscar Hernandez could be a part of that change.
If the Dodgers want, they can look to trade Hernandez this offseason.
Teoscar Hernandez Trade Candidate
The Athletic’s Katie Woo and Fabian Ardaya noted in a new article on Saturday that Hernandez is the most logical big name for the Dodgers to trade this offseason.
“After rostering the oldest position-playing group in the majors for the second straight year, the Dodgers will look to get younger,” The Athletic writes. “The difficulty is that most of their age-30-or-above core is still under contract for 2027, if not longer. The Dodgers floated Hernández on the trade market last winter but held on. Instead, they moved him to left field to make room for Kyle Tucker. They might find themselves in a similar position this offseason. Los Angeles will look to create a spot on the active roster for top prospect Josue De Paula, who still needs plenty of work in the outfield but impressed Dodgers brass with his offense to the point where the 21-year-old made both the NLDS and NLCS rosters.”
Hernandez is entering the final year of his contract, but he does have a club option in his deal for 2028, as well.
“Offloading Hernández might be the easiest way to do that,” The Athletic writes. “Hernández is in the final year of a three-year, $66 million extension he signed ahead of the 2025 season. The deal includes a club option worth $15 million in 2028. He did not have much of a market last winter, and his 16 homers this year represent his lowest total in a full season of his career. Still, the Dodgers have a loaded farm system that could perhaps help sweeten a potential trade.”
Would Another Team Want Teoscar Hernandez?
The fact that Hernandez is entering the final year of his deal helps the cause. It won’t cost a ton to get him, and it’s not a long-term commitment.
On the flip side, though, he’s coming off a decline in home runs, and he’s not a useful defender at this point.
So it would line up best if there was a contender with an opening in left field or at DH that had a surplus somewhere else to send the Dodgers for Hernandez.
The Dodgers are slated to lose pitching more than anything else this offseason, so maybe some kind of arm to deal for Hernandez would line up for L.A. and another team to get a trade done.
Dodgers Line Up To Trade Teoscar Hernandez