Andy McCullough of The Athletic (Now NY Times) made a very bold prediction yesterday in one of his articles. He believes that the Cincinnati Reds’ ownership group is set to pony up and land a big time free agent in Teoscar Hernandez, formerly of the Los Angeles Dodgers, now a free agent.
Teoscar Hernandez landing with the Cincinnati Reds would be huge for the ball club, he has not had a single season besides his rookie year in Houston in 2016 with an wRC+ under 100. He had an above 130 wRC+ in 4 of his last 5 seasons. Last year with the Dodgers, he had a 134 wRC+ which would lead the Reds by a landslide.
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What Is His Market, & Can The Reds Afford Him?
Per Spotrac, his market is at 3 years, $71,265,000. That comes to $23.8M a year, which would make him the highest paid LF in the game of baseball. If you all remember correctly, the Cincinnati Reds last played the Free Agent market heavily in 2019 where they sought outfield help as well. They were in on Marcell Ozuna to the last day, and ended up landing Nick Castellanos, who was a tremendous boost to the club. Getting Teo would be a very similar grab. Like Nick, Teo is known for his bat, not his defense. The Reds would have to hide him in LF.
If you read my article earlier today, I stated that the Reds have a huge issue when it comes to money – it’s true. With Martinez slated to make $21.05M as it stands right now, fitting Teoscar Hernandez in at nearly $24M yearly makes it real hard to see playing out, though it shouldn’t be.
Any Connections To Cincinnati?
Jeimer Candelario and Teoscar Hernandez have a history together. They have trained together, and are friends. Jeimer could play a role in recruiting Teo to Cincinnati, which could be able to sell itself. In 2024, he had 36 HRs, according to Statcast’s ‘xHR’ Stat, if he played each game in Great American Ballpark, he would’ve had 43.
Another connection to Cincinnati would be his agent – Rafa Nieves is familar with Nick Krall & Co due to Luis Castillo & Noelvi Marte. Rafa is known to be a level headed, fair agent that is not afraid to mentor his clients to deals that could benefit them longevity wise. Teoscar Hernandez is genuinely a perfect fit for the Cincinnati Reds if they can figure out a way to get him paid.
A lineup looking like:
- TJ Friedl – CF
- Matt McLain – 2B
- Elly De La Cruz – SS
- Teoscar Hernandez – LF/DH
- Jeimer Candelario – 3B/1B/DH
- Tyler Stephenson – C/DH
- Christian Encarnacion-Strand – 1B/DH
- Spencer Steer – RF/LF/DH
- Jake Fraley – RF/LF
Obviously, in no particular order, and some swaps needed, but those 9 core guys would go absolutely crazy and make this team look entirely different. I’m praying the Reds can pony up and land Teoscar. That would be the homerun they need to make their team REALLY good. The ball is in your court, Bob Castellini/Reds ownership group.
It’s worth nothing, Andy McCullough said he made his determination strictly off of ~vibes~ and he did not have any indication that he would sign with the Reds, just that he fit like a glove. I agree. As of right now, Teoscar Hernandez is a favorite to land back with the Los Angeles Dodgers or go to Atlanta to co-DH/LF with Marcell Ozuna adding another thumper to their lineup, so don’t get your hopes up just yet.
