Teoscar Hernandez‘s name appeared in trade rumors earlier this winter, and now that Kyle Tucker joins the Los Angeles outfield, prompting natural speculation that the Dodgers could clear space by moving Hernandez elsewhere. Even if Tucker is in the bullpen, there’s a good chance Hernandez will still be a Dodger on Opening Day, according to both Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic and Alden Gonzalez of ESPN.
The Dodgers plan is likely to move Hernandez to left field, with Tucker taking his right field spot. Andy Pages again Tommy Edman would be the main field in the middle of Alex Call in the outfield role, and Edman is also perhaps the top option within the elusive second base mix that also includes Miguel Rojas, Hyeseong Kim, Alex Freelandand new discoveries Andy Ibanez. Meeting again Enrique Hernandez sometimes this offseason also cannot be ruled out.
Los Angeles manager Dave Roberts and GM Brandon Gomes both downplayed the idea of trading Hernandez back in December, even as Rosenthal’s first report on trade talks indicated it was “unlikely” the Dodgers would move on just a year after signing Hernandez to a three-year, $66MM free agent contract. The rest of that deal was reduced to $12MM in 2026, $14.5MM in 2027, and a $6.5MM buyout of a $15MM club option for the 2028 season.
Part of that $66MM guaranteed is already covered in the form of a $23MM signing bonus and a $10MM salary for 2025, and $23.5MM of the $66MM total is deferred until 2031. So the team that trades Hernandez will only take $33MM over the two-year period, and deduct the rest of the carryover amount.
These small remaining costs are likely to lead a few outfield teams to at least entertain the idea of a deal for Hernandez with Los Angeles, and the Royals have been cited as one of the clubs interested. While money is not a commodity for the Dodgers in free agency, moving Hernandez would give the team a luxury tax break, and open up more room in the outfield for other players. Drive or Edman can get more playing time on the grass, and remove Edman from the second base battle. Many of the Dodgers’ top prospects are outfielders, hence the popularity of Joshua De Paula I would have had more room for the Major League to start in 2026.
Finally with Hernandez, the Dodgers avoid any potential pitfalls with deep or untested players as LA tries to win its third consecutive World Series title. There’s also the possibility that the trade market for Hernandez was too thin after such a year for the veteran. Hernandez still hit 25 homers, but his .247/.284/.454 line over 546 plate appearances translated to just a 102 wRC+, and his walk rate dropped to a paltry 4.8%.
Hernandez also had a wRC+ of just 107 in 2023, though he bounced back from that season to hit as much as his senior in his first year with the Dodgers in 2024. Another rebounding performance shouldn’t be ruled out as Hernandez enters his age-33 season, but his inferior defense means his value is limited when he’s not hitting.
While trading a proven major leaguer like Hernandez may not be in the cards for the Dodgers, the champs have enough depth across the diamond to turn to any number of unstable players as trade chips. Rosenthal suggests that the right hand Bobby Miller or minor leaguer Ryan Ward could be players Los Angeles is very open to trade.
Just a few years removed from being one of the game’s top prospects, Miller performed well in his 2023 rookie season but struggled to an 8.85 ERA over 61 MLB innings since Opening Day 2024. He appeared in just two Major League games in 2025 while continuing to battle control issues at the Triple-A level. Ward is an eighth-round pick from the 2019 draft who cracked Triple-A in 2025, and while he may have gotten a chance at Show in a star-studded organization, Ward is entering his age-28 season and probably isn’t in the Dodgers’ long-term plans.
