The Los Angeles Dodgers agreed to a one-year, $23.5-million deal with outfielder Teoscar Hernández, sources told ESPN’s Jeff Passan.
$8.5 million of Hernández’s $23.5-million salary is deferred and will be paid out between 2030 and 2039, a source told Passan.
Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said on Sunday he was seeking a right-handed hitting outfielder who crushes left-handed pitching. He got his wish in Hernández, who owns a career .887 OPS against southpaws.
Hernández, 31, joins the Dodgers after spending last season with the Seattle Mariners where he slashed .258/.305/.435 with 26 home runs, 29 doubles and 93 RBIs in 160 games.
The Dominican’s best campaign in a non-shortened season came with the Toronto Blue Jays in 2021 when he hit 32 homers and 116 RBIs with an .870 OPS.
The Dodgers have dominated the offseason, already signing two of the top free agents, Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto, for more than $1 billion, as well as trading for right-hander flamethrower Tyler Glasnow.
The Boston Red Sox were reportedly also interested in Hernández, with discussions centered around a two-year, $28-million deal before talks stalled, a source told MassLive’s Chris Cotillo.
