Rumored Dodgers alternatives to Teoscar Hernández emerge in latest update

The chances of the Dodgers re-signing Teoscar Hernández look worse anytime anyone provides an update on negotiations. The first sign of trouble came during Winter Meetings, when Alden González reported there were "gaps" between the two parties in negotiations. Suddenly, more teams came out of the woodwork with interest in him (Blue Jays, Phillies), at which point Hernández's more than reasonable asking price was revealed. In an unfortunate blow, the Dodgers then started being connected to alternate options.

Mark Feinsand named the Dodgers as ones to watch for Anthony Santander, and then Fabian Ardaya speculated on a potential trade with the White Sox for Luis Robert Jr. On Saturday, Ken Rosenthal reiterated that Hernández and the Dodgers were at an "impasse," and that the Dodgers were exploring other righty bats in earnest (subscription required).

He also named Robert as a candidate, but added former Padres infielder Ha-Seong Kim and Cubs outfielder/DH Seiya Suzuki.

Hernández's reported asking price is three years and $22-24 million a year, and Rosenthal confirmed that the issue between him and the Dodgers is money. Any hesitation is ridiculous on the Dodgers' end, since they gave him $23.5 million in 2024 and were prepared to give Juan Soto $600 million this year.

While both ends do seem to prioritizing a return despite these challenges, it'd be right for fans to be pretty worried right now.

Dodgers connected to alternate righty bats to Teoscar Hernández, including Ha-Seong Kim, Seiya Suzuki, Luis Robert Jr.

Kim, as an infielder, is probably the most intriguing new name to crop up, given the Dodgers' infield picture so far. As things stand, Max Muncy will be at third, Mookie Betts will be at shortstop, and Gavin Lux will be at second. Lux would clearly be the easiest to push back to the bench or trade altogether, based on both money owed and performance, and Kim put up a 7 OAA there in 2023. However, he's also accumulated 4 OAA at shortstop in an injury-shortened 2024 (which might have to give the Dodgers some pause before a signing), so the Dodgers could also switch him out with Betts if the shortstop experiment fails again. They would then be free to give Andy Pages a starting role in the outfield.

Suzuki or Robert would require less shuffling. Right field is wide open, and while fans would like to see Hernández there, Suzuki especially is not a bad option. Robert was connected to the Dodgers during the 2024 trade deadline, but the White Sox are still looking to sell high, despite his bad second-half performance after coming off the IL. Suzuki, despite missing a little less than a month with an injury himself, had another solid year in Chicago, batting .283 with a .848 OPS.

Again, everyone wants Hernández back, and the Dodgers openly looking at other options doesn't make things look great, but at least there are a couple of interesting names in the mix.