Dodgers Rumors: Postseason hero's name surfacing in trade buzz comes as a shock

Teoscar Hernández's sophomore season in LA was ... less than ideal. He wasn't bad offensively, but everything about his 2025 performance was inferior to 2024. He hit eight fewer homers, drove in 10 fewer runs, walked far less, and missed two weeks with an injury. And that's saying nothing about his defense, which has never been great but attracted a lot more scrutiny this year than ever before after a few particularly unacceptable moments.

Getting Hernández out of right field, where he put up a -9 OAA (the fourth-worst of 36 qualified right fielders) is a priority for the Dodgers this offseason. They're reported to be looking at free agents Kyle Tucker, Cody Bellinger, and Harrison Bader, but are expected to turn their attention more heavily to the trade market.

Hernández in left, Andy Pages in center, and someone new in right is straightforward and the clearest solution to the problem — but, per Ken Rosenthal, the Dodgers might be willing to go a step further.

Hernández's name is reportedly "coming up in trade conversations." The Dodgers are not actively shopping him, nor do they expect a deal to happen, but the fact that they aren't immediately shutting down those talks is shocking.

Teoscar Hernández's name is reportedly coming up in Dodgers' trade conversations

Rosenthal notes that a Hernández trade could be counterintuitive. The Dodgers are already looking for one outfielder, so why subtract and need to look for another? However, they do have internal options. Ryan Ward and Dalton Rushing need a place to play (if they don't get traded this offseason), and even if the Dodgers would be hesitant to give either a full-time job, they'd still get more playing time without Hernández blocking them from left.

Hernández's contract could be a little burdensome to other teams, depending on how they feel about deferrals. He's still owed around $32 million between 2026 and 2027, but the Dodgers also deferred an extra $8 million per year. He also has a $15 million club option for 2028.

Trading him would be a massive move and would be a tough one for Dodgers fans to take. As much as he made us want to pull our hair out with his defense this year, he endeared himself to fans and his teammates so quickly that's been easy to envision him being an immovable part of this Dodgers' golden age.

We shouldn't get too ahead of ourselves, as the Dodgers aren't motivated to move him, but it'll certainly be something for fans to keep on their radars this offseason.