Report: Dodgers signing former All-Star OF Teoscar Hernández to $23.5M contract, some of which will be deferred
The Los Angeles Dodgers are signing free-agent outfielder Teoscar Hernández to a one-year, $23.5 million contract, ESPN's Jeff Passan reported Sunday.
Per the report, $8.5 million of the deal will be deferred with payouts from 2030 to '39. The deal is another high-profile Dodgers contract in an offseason that has seen the team sign two-way star Shohei Ohtani, Japanese pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto and former Rays starter Tyler Glasnow.
Hernández turned down multiyear offers in order to sign the high-value, one-year deal with the Dodgers, per the report. He was No. 16 on Yahoo Sports' ranking of this winter's free agents.
Like Hernández's, Ohtani's historic contract came with deferrals, though his are much more significant. Ohtani will receive only $20 million of his $700 million deal over the life of the contract. He'll reportedly receive the remaining $680 million in deferred payments starting in 2034, after the contract's conclusion.
Yamamoto's contract is also unique in that it reportedly contains multiple opt-outs tied to the health of the elbow on his throwing arm.
The Hernández deal further signals the Dodgers' intention to build a dominant roster. Hernández, 31, has won two Silver Slugger Awards and was named an All-Star in 2021. He slashed .258./.305/.435 with 26 home runs, 93 RBI and seven stolen bases with the Seattle Mariners last season.
