Teoscar Hernandez opens up about rejecting 6 teams for Dodgers' $66,000,000 deal

Veteran outfielder Teoscar Hernandez walked into free agency following the conclusion of his one-year deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers at the end of the 2024 season.

After a career-best year with the Dodgers in 2024, Hernandez was strongly linked with a reunion with the World Series winners in the offseason. Although Hernandez's free agency dragged longer than expected, he resigned for the Dodgers in the first week of January.

Hernandez's stellar season in 2024 attracted interest from several teams in the offseason but the veteran outfielder had his heart set on a reunion with LA. He reflected on his free agency on the "Dodgers Territory" podcast (7:00 onwards):

"It was a little uh stressful. I'm not gonna lie. It was gonna be a little different being a free agent after the year that I had last year. Like more teams were gonna be in the mix. But, It was fun, it was my second time going through that process. Obviously, in 2023, it was a little different because of a down year that I had, but there were like six teams (in 2024) trying to put together a contract for me.

"For me, winning was the biggest thing and going back to LA was the second biggest one. I was not gonna leave LA for another team chasing a little bit more money or more years. I just want to find a place where I can be comfortable and my family feels good. Through all of that LA was the one that filled all the like checkbox boxes. At the end of the day it had to be a really really big offer from other team for me to leave LA."

Hernandez agreed on a $66 million deal for three years with a $15 million club option for 2028. He received a $23 million signing bonus, while more than $23 million of the deal was deferred.

Teoscar Hernandez turned down more money to reunite with Dodgers

Despite being surrounded by MVPs like Shohei Ohtani, Freddie Freeman and Mookie Betts, Teoscar Hernandez held his own in the Dodgers lineup, emerging as a fan-favorite in 2024.

Hernandez shared he turned down more lucrative offers in favor of a return to Dodger Stadium.

"For me, money wasn't an issue," Hernandez said on reportedly turning down an additional $5 - $6 million from other teams.

The veteran outfielder is expected to be a pivotal part of the Dodgers offense as Shohei Ohtani is expected to resume pitching in 2025, which may impact his offensive output for the team hoping to defend the World Series crown.