Dodgers President Andrew Friedman Hinted at Teoscar Hernandez Signing Before It Happened

Even after a billion-dollar December in which they acquired Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and Tyler Glasnow, the Dodgers said they weren’t done improving their roster.

Sunday, president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman followed through. One of the top free agents in the market, two-time Silver Slugger award winner Teoscar Hernandez, agreed to a one-year contract, according to multiple reports.

It was no secret the Boys in Blue needed a right-handed hitting outfielder who mashed lefties, and that’s precisely what they got. In an interview Sunday morning with MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM, before their agreement with Hernandez, Friedman spoke on the importance of adding a right-handed hitting outfielder who specializes punishing in left-handed pitchers:

Hernandez’s profile certainly fit the bill.

A guy like Hernandez is precisely what the Dodgers needed, and they got him.

According to MLBTradeRumors.com and Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, Hernandez was projected to receive a four-year deal worth $80 million. Insider after insider predicted he’d get a multi-year deal — not uncommon for a 31-year-old first-time free agent — but the choice of Los Angeles was obvious. Not only could the Dodgers reliably offer the promise of winning, he could raise his value when he hits the free-agent market again next season.

The Dodgers have done the same for several free agents in years past, from Tyler Anderson to Andrew Heaney to J.D. Martinez. The Dodgers are no strangers to raising players’ value, and Hernandez ostensibly is hoping to do the same.

Hernandez, 31, played some of his best games last year away from T-Moblie Park (.833 OPS on the road vs. .769 at home) in his lone season as a Mariner.

Friedman got his guy — again — and Dodger fans couldn’t be more happy.

Photo Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

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