ESPN: The Yankees outbid the Dodgers to land a $100 million three-time silver slugger.
Like many other major league baseball teams with large fan bases, the New York Yankees appear to be on pause. As ESPN’s Jeff Passan has pointed out, the Yankees are in the running to sign superstar slugger Juan Soto, and many of the other big offseason dominoes won’t fall until Soto signs a new contract.
When those talks finally come to an end, though, Bleacher Report’s Joel Reuter anticipates that another significant hitter will sign a new contract of his own. He believes the Yankees will offer Teoscar Hernández a five-year, $100 million deal. “The five-year, $100 million deal that Nick Castellanos signed when he joined the (Philadelphia) Phillies looks like a reasonable comparison, and while a reunion with the (Los Angeles) Dodgers remains a distinct possibility, his market could open up once the Juan Soto sweepstakes reaches its conclusion,” Reuter said.
For the Yankees, stealing Hernández from the Dodgers may be a huge victory. In 2024, the outfielder slashed.272/.339/.501 in Los Angeles on his way to winning the World Series, his second All-Star game, his third season of MVP votes, and his third career Silver Slugger Award.
With Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, and Shohei Ohtani expected to head the hitting order, Hernández’s success during his one-year contract with the Dodgers has undoubtedly increased the worth of a new contract, and the Dodgers may opt to let him go in free agency.
“After a good-not-great 2023 season with the (Seattle) Mariners, Teoscar Hernández settled for a one-year, $23.5 million deal from the Dodgers last offseason,” Reuter reported. “He responded with a career-high 33 home runs while helping secure a World Series title, and now he stands as one of the top bats on the market.” However, it could only make sense to sign with the Yankees if they are in need of an outfield replacement and miss out on the Soto deal. Additionally, Reuter predicted that Soto will eventually be acquired by the Red Sox for $675 million.
