Los Angeles Dodgers fans will need to stock up on sunflower seeds after the team agreed to a new deal with fan favorite slugger Teoscar Hernández.
Hernández will return to the Dodgers on a new 3-year, $66 million deal, according to ESPN’s Jeff Passan.
The Dodgers signed Hernández to a one-year deal prior to the 2024 season hoping to get a consistent bat in the middle of the lineup that could provide a capable glove in the outfield.
Hernández, 31, rewarded the team by making his second-career MLB All Star roster, hitting a career-high home runs (33), and becoming the first Dodger to win the MLB Home Run Derby.
A clubhouse leader, he immediately endeared himself to fans and Dodgers players for his energetic and exuberant demeanor, including showering his teammates with sunflower seeds after hitting a home run—a tradition he brought with him from previous teams.
Prior to his World Series-winning season with the Dodgers, Hernández likely could’ve gotten a longer free agent deal with another team, but coming to Los Angeles was seen as a strategic risk to improve his chances of securing a larger contract in the offseason.
Mission accomplished.
With a handful of crucial free agents heading into the winter, the Dodgers have not sat on their hands following their World Series victory.
The team shocked the baseball world by agreeing to a massive deal with ace pitcher Blake Snell, and re-upped utility man and National League Championship Series MVP Tommy Edman on a five-year extension. The team also agreed to a new contract with crucial reliever Blake Treinen and inked former All-Star outfielder Michael Conforto to a one-year deal.
The team has other major decisions to make regarding other free agent roleplayers, including another fan favorite, Kiké Hernández, as well as starting pitcher Jack Flaherty.
The team has also been heavily linked to Japanese flamethrower Roki Sasaki, who could join his countrymen, Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto, in the Dodgers clubhouse.
Bringing Hernández back into the fray for the World Series title defense was arguably the most important offseason move for Dodgers President Andrew Friedman.
The decision was made all the more easy after former New York Yankees star Juan Soto, the biggest name in baseball’s free agent pool, chose to sign with the crosstown New York Mets on the richest deal in American sports history. The Dodgers were reportedly one of a handful of teams to meet with Soto before he ultimately signed with the Mets.
While it will be a welcome reunion for one World Series hero, the Dodgers have had to say goodbye to another.
Walker Buehler, who closed out the Yankees in Game 5 of the World Series in what will go down as an iconic moment in Los Angeles sports history, departs the team after agreeing to a one-year, $21 million deal with the Boston Red Sox.
