What’s Next for the Dodgers After the Teoscar Hernandez Signing?

Hours after president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said he was targeting an outfielder that crushed left-handed pitching, the Dodgers agreed to terms with Teoscar Hernández on a 1-year, $23.5 million contract.

The signing holds implications for other players on the Dodgers’ roster, and alters the front office’s offseason needs.

Freeing up the 40-man roster

To make the signing official, the Dodgers need to clear a spot on their 40-man roster. The Dodgers agreed to terms with pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto on Dec. 21, but it would be another week before they designated pitcher Bryan Hudson for assignment and announced the transaction.

Pitchers Ricky Vanasco and Gus Varland are the most likely DFA candidates. Vanasco, 25, signed a major league contract in November. Varland, 27, offers six years of team control and is coming off an outstanding season at Triple-A Oklahoma City. Releasing either right-hander comes with some risk that the Dodgers would have a hard time replacing them internally.

The Dodgers could also free up a 40-man roster spot by trading someone off it. With a glut of young, controllable pitchers, Friedman could put together an enticing package to get a quality prospect or another MLB player.

A less likely route would involve eating some salary and trading Chris Taylor. Read more about that possibility here.

Supplementing the Dodgers roster

After making the Teoscar Hernández signing official, the position player side of the 26-man roster seems set. Likely, the Dodgers would not sign more position players — including fan favorite Kiké Hernández — unless Taylor is traded.

Friedman could look to add another arm in either the starting rotation or the bullpen. Given their predilection to give their starting pitchers five days’ rest, they might be more aggressive in adding to the rotation.

Although Evan Phillips has earned the title on merit, the Dodgers did not use him as their designated closer last season. As a result, Josh Hader and Emmanuel Clase have been linked to the Dodgers in offseason rumors.

Hader reportedly wants a contract larger than the 5-year, $102 million deal the Mets gave Edwin Diaz last year. The Guardians will not give up Clase, the 2022 Mariano Rivera Award winner, without receiving a large haul in return.

Unless both pitchers’ markets come down significantly, bringing them to Los Angeles seems difficult. Left-hander Tanner Scott of the Miami Marlins is someone to keep an eye on. Scott only has one year left of arbitration, so he might not command as high of prospect capital as Clase.

As of right now, Emmet Sheehan appears to be the fifth man in the starting rotation. As last year demonstrated, starting pitcher depth can become an undervalued asset quickly.

The Dodgers have been linked to several starting pitchers available in trades this offseason, including Corbin Burnes, Shane Bieber, and Dylan Cease. All are good options at the right price. The best option might be franchise icon Clayton Kershaw.

Kershaw, coming off significant shoulder surgery, doesn’t expect to pitch until later this summer — if he pitches at all. Friedman and the Dodgers might wait until Spring Training starts, sign Kershaw and add him to the 60-day injured list, thereby circumventing the 40-man roster limit.

In the best-case scenario, Kershaw looks like his normal self upon his return, and is fully healthy come October after a gradual ramp-up period. If not, he could give the team some quality starts to keep Yamamoto, Tyler Glasnow, Walker Buehler and Bobby Miller fresh heading into the postseason. In that scenario, Kershaw would effectively be a back-of-the-rotation pitcher with Hall of Fame upside.

With the core of the team set, Friedman just has to work around the edges to supplement the roster. Historically, Friedman has done his best work at the margins.

Photo Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

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