Dodgers All-Star slugger projected for four-year, $100 million extension

The Los Angeles Dodgers spent more than $1 billion this offseason to reinforce a roster that was already one of baseball’s most decorated.

They added Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Shohei Ohtani alongside former Most Valuable Player award-winners Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman and Clayton Kershaw, as well as several former All-Stars. But one signing that received less fanfare at the time has been nearly as impactful.

The Dodgers signed outfield slugger Teoscar Hernáhdez to a single-year, $23.5 million contract and he has rewarded them with a resurgent season at the plate. He earned an All-Star nod, won the Home Run Derby and racked up a career-high 33 home runs with a .272/.339/.501 slash line.

And now, as he faces the prospect of returning to the free-agent market, Hernández might be in line for a major payday via extension. If the Dodgers hope to keep him for 2025 and beyond, Katrina Stebbins of FanSided’s Dodgers Way estimated it will take a long-term deal in the nine-figure range and some careful maneuvering around their other veteran contracts.

“The Dodgers will have Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, Shohei Ohtani, and Will Smith until they're all on the cusp of 40. That's a little insane, and although it's already unlikely they'll keep Hernández for quite as long, they definitely shouldn't keep five roster spots locked up for that long with players that old,” Stebbins wrote. “Even five years feels a little too long, so we'll take it down to four with a club option for a fifth year. All told, that's four years, $100 million, with a potential extra year worth another $25 million.”

Looking forward to next season, the Dodgers might shuffle their roster in any number of ways. The team has as much as $70 million coming off the books next year and will have to consider reloading the starting rotation amid a slew of injuries. They might also try to make room for Dalton Rushing, Major League Baseball’s top overall prospect .

But if they’d prefer to double down on the success they’ve seen this season, an extension for Hernández might be next.

“Re-signing Hernández to a long-term deal would definitely make it seem like Rushing is destined to be a prime trade piece, but after the year Hernández has had, they might want to go that route,” Stebbins added. “Dodgers fans would certainly be happy to keep him.”

More MLB: Phillies urged to replace struggling $72 million veteran via blockbuster trade