If the New York Yankees lose Juan Soto, their attention has to turn to finding his replacement. Unfortunately, the reality of the situation is that it isn’t possible. Unless the Yankees found a way to trade for a handful of players around Major League Baseball, they shouldn’t expect to find anyone who could put up similar numbers for them in 2025.
While that’s the harsh reality of the situation, it doesn’t mean the Yankees shouldn’t look for a replacement. One option they could pursue is Teoscar Hernandez, a right-handed hitting outfielder.
Fox 43 recently predicted he’d return to the Los Angeles Dodgers on a three-year, $60 million deal, but the money is the bigger piece here.
“I think it’s safe to say that Hernandez loved his season with Los Angeles, and the Dodgers loved having him in the middle of their order. Without a ready made replacement from the minor league system, I think the Dodgers will look to continue their time with Hernandez, and ultimately reach a new deal…
“Essentially on a “prove it” deal, he did that and more in LA, coming home with a World Series ring,” Fox wrote on November 22. “Now, he will come out of free agency with a big chunk of change and stay with the Dodgers to try and pick up another ring.”
Yankees Have Been Linked to Hernandez
The idea of Hernandez landing with the New York Yankees isn’t out of the picture. That’s why the contract prediction is the biggest part, as that could be the ballpark the Yankees will have to pay him to sign the World Series champion.
Just Baseball’s believes he’ll land with the Yankees, predicting him to do so after predicting them to lose Soto.
“Teoscar Hernandez hit free agency last year after a down season in Seattle, where he posted just a .741 OPS. Instead of signing what was deemed a below-market multi-year deal, Hernandez chose to sign a one-year, $23.5 million deal, with $8.5 million deferred. The prove-it deal was a bet on himself, and a chance to win it all with the best team in baseball,” “Things worked out on both fronts for Hernandez, who put up an All-Star season and took home his first World Series ring.
“Now, Hernandez is ready to cash in and get paid. Entering his age-32 season, this is his real chance to get paid on a long-term deal. Since 2019, Tesocar is one of just a few hitters who has eclipsed 25 home runs in every full season. His 158 home runs over that span rank 15th in MLB.”
Could the Yankees Sign Soto and Hernandez?
In a perfect world, the New York Yankees would sign Soto and Hernandez. While that might not be too likely due to their prices, crazier things have happened.
Soto is the top priority, but even if they signed him, one could argue that Hernandez would still be of need in left field. However, due to Soto’s price, it’d be difficult to ask the Yankees to spend that money.
There’s a scenario where it could happen, but it remains unlikely.
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