The case for the Dodgers not to re-sign Kiké Hernández in free agency (again)

The Los Angeles Dodgers took particular offense to a comment made by San Diego Padres owner José E. Feliciano: "The owner of the Dodgers owns a lot of dinosaurs."

Feliciano could've been making reference to Mark Walter's collection of dinosaur bones ... but he almost certainly wasn't. It was a pretty obvious dig at LA's aging roster, the oldest in baseball with a mean age of 30.8.

The Dodgers used it as something of a rallying cry. Teoscar Hernández referred back to it as the Dodgers celebrated their NLDS win over the Atlanta Braves, and Kiké Hernández posted a photo of himself, Max Muncy, Miguel Rojas, Mookie Betts, and Freddie Freeman as dinosaurs.

But Feliciano wasn't wrong. In the NLCS against the Milwaukee Brewers (the eighth-youngest team in baseball), the Dodgers looked tired and worn down. Shohei Ohtani was playing through multiple injuries, Freeman hasn't been himself since early September, (Kiké) Hernández had one magical postseason swing left in him, and then he faded away.

Hernández is one of nine Dodgers players who are hitting free agency this offseason. It's his fourth time on the market in as many years. The Dodgers re-signing him has always seemed like a foregone conclusion but, as Hernández himself pointed out, he's one of those dinosaurs, and the Dodgers might have to seriously consider moving on.

Dodgers should seriously consider moving on from Kiké Hernández this offseason

The Dodgers love Hernández. His teammates love him. Fans love him. But that doesn't mean that he's still equipped to help this team get back to championship glory in 2027 and beyond. He only played in 41 regular season games, and while the regular season is really of no concern to LA, his sole hit in the postseason was his homer off of Chris Sale in Game 3 of the NLDS.

No doubt he'll be affordable, and he would probably rather retire before playing for anyone but the Dodgers, but on a roster as old and as crowded as this one, the smarter baseball move would be finding a younger utility player.

The Dodgers don't have to make any hasty decisions. Since 2024, Hernández has signed in February, right around pitchers and catchers reporting to spring training. Andrew Friedman can put Hernández at the bottom of his priority list while still trusting that he'll pick up the phone if called.

LA will always have a safety net in Hernández, but with their limitless resources and a desperate need to get younger, he should really only be back if they've exhausted all other options.

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