They were two words Dodger fans had been hoping to hear this offseason.
“I’m back,” free agent outfielder Teoscar Hernandez posted to his Instagram account on Friday afternoon, confirming that he and the Dodgers had reached agreement on a new contract.
The deal is reportedly for three years and $66 million with a club option for a fourth season at $15 million. The deal ties the 32-year-old Hernandez to the Dodgers potentially through the 2028 season.
After finding a limited market as a free agent last winter, Hernandez signed a one-year, $23.5 million contract with the Dodgers that included $8.5 million in deferred salary. The new three-year deal includes another $23 million in deferred money matched by a $23 million signing bonus.
Hernandez quickly established himself as a leader in the clubhouse and a key contributor in the lineup after joining the Dodgers. He had a career-high 33 home runs (and won the Home Run Derby at the All-Star Game) and drove in 99 runs. An All-Star for the second time in his career, he also won his second Silver Slugger award.
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Hernandez, 32, made it clear he wanted to return to Los Angeles, joking after the World Series victory parade that he would be re-signing “Hopefully tomorrow.” But the free-agent market presented him with more options this time around with the Boston Red Sox and one of his former teams, the Toronto Blue Jays, believed to also be offering multi-year deals before he settled on the Dodgers.
The Dodgers were in danger of subtracting two big pieces from their outfield mix with Mookie Betts moving to shortstop and Hernandez potentially leaving via free agency. Now, the lineup seems set with Hernandez in left, Tommy Edman in center field and Michael Conforto (signed to a one-year, $17 million contract as a free agent) replacing Betts in right.