Dodgers insider gets fans pumped with possible premature Teoscar Hernández rumors

While news about Juan Soto and the Dodgers' involvement in the chase for him continued to be confusing throughout Wednesday, SportsNet LA's David Vassegh gave a much-needed update on the status of an outfielder some Dodgers fans want back a lot more than they want Soto at all.

Teoscar Hernández's market has been stalled a bit while Soto sorts through his options, one of which may or may not be the Dodgers, but LA's love for Hernández runs deep, and he'd be far from a consolation prize if the team loses out on Soto. There have been indications that the Dodgers have been talking to Hernández about a reunion.

However, Vassegh put a finer point on things and gave more of a concrete update, saying that his belief was that the two parties are "very much engaged trying to nail the final details of a contract," which does make it sound like a new deal is right around the corner.

While it's still almost unanimously believed he'll return, the idea definitely holds a little bit more weight coming from Vassegh, who was in the trenches with the team on a pretty much daily basis this season.

David Vassegh says Teoscar Hernández, Dodgers are close to finalizing a reunion deal

This might indicate that the Dodgers are officially out on Soto. Ken Rosenthal reported earlier this week that all of the teams still under consideration had offered upwards of $600 million and noted that the Dodgers have been one of the most publicly interested squads, but it's unclear whether or not they're actually one of those $600 million+ teams.

Mark Feinsand wrote on Wednesday that the Dodgers were "unlikely" to sign Soto, and they have seemed rather wishy-washy on their level of investment to begin with.

But no matter. If Hernández really is close to a new deal, that'll be more than enough to satisfy fans, some of whom have been calling for the team to extend him since halfway through the season. If Mookie Betts really is going to move back to the infield, that leaves room for both Hernández and Soto in the outfield, but even the Dodgers might not be willing to shell out that much money when they could chase Anthony Santander or give Andy Pages a more regular role.

So even if Hernández means no Soto, it's hard to feel too upset about it. Hernández more than earned his place in the Dodgers lineup for the three or four years he's expected to get with his next deal.