The Los Angeles Dodgers are going to have to do a lot of heavy lifting in free agency, as Clayton Kershaw, Lance Lynn, Julio Urias, Enrique Hernández, and J.D. Martinez, among several others, are set to test the market. While starting pitching is arguably the team’s biggest need, so is a corner outfielder, as David Peralta and Jason Heyward are also set to hit free agency as well.
So with that, the Dodgers are expected to show interest in signing a corner outfielder this winter. That was expressed by general manager Brandon Gomes, who according to Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic, told reporters this week that a corner outfielder is of the utmost priority and on the team’s checklist this offseason.
It makes sense that the team has expressed interest in free agent Teoscar Hernández, who surprisingly did NOT receive a qualifying offer from the Seattle Mariners this offseason. Jorge Castillo of the Los Angeles Times was the first to report that the Dodgers had an interest in acquiring the 2021 All-Star two-time Silver Slugger award winner.
Before the start of the 2022 season, the Toronto Blue Jays traded Hernández to Seattle in exchange for Erik Swanson and Adam Macko. In his lone season with the Mariners, Hernández had a batting average of .258, an on-base percentage of .305, and a slugging percentage of .435, with 29 doubles, 26 home runs and 93 RBIs.
While he fell short of expectations in Seattle, if a team like the Dodgers wants to take a gamble on the 31-year-old Hernández, they will not need to forfeit any draft compensation in order to do so.
