The final out of the World Series, when the Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the New York Yankees on Oct. 30, did more than mark the end of the Major League Baseball season. It kicked off a free-agent frenzy between the two teams that has yet to be fully resolved.
The first shoe dropped Sunday when Juan Soto and the New York Mets reached an agreement on a landmark 15-year, $765 million contract. The Yankees were the first runners-up for Soto, whom they reportedly offered a 16-year, $760 million deal.
The Dodgers were among the five teams that met personally with Soto in November, but their final offer came in at $600 million, according to The Athletic.
More news: After Juan Soto Signs With Mets, What’s Next for Yankees?
Now, both World Series teams must go to their “Plan B” to find a corner outfielder and middle-of-the-order bat.
The Dodgers had one in Teoscar Hernández, who became a free agent after slugging 33 home runs, driving in 99, and batting .272 after signing a one-year, $23.5 million contract in January. Both sides have been negotiating toward a possible reunion, and are close on terms. However, no deal has been consummated as of Monday afternoon.
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The Yankees are in the market to sign Hernández too, according to multiple reports.
In an interview Monday with Doug McKain of Dodgers Nation, Jon Morosi of MLB Network said the biggest threat to sign Hernández might be yet another runner-up in the Soto sweepstakes: The Boston Red Sox.
More news: Dodgers, Free Agent Now ‘Close’ on New Contract as Yankees, Red Sox Lurk: Report
“I think Boston is the tougher threat for the Dodgers to deal with right now because (Hernández) has hit so well at Fenway (Park),” Morosi told McKain. “Anecdotally you hear that he’s loved playing there in the past and would be a really dynamic player at Fenway. With that wall I think he’d be a tremendous player on both sides of the ball for the Boston Red Sox, who are now looking to make a big impact after missing out on Juan Soto.”
While Morosi noted that the door is “still very open” for the Dodgers and Hernández to strike a new deal, Morosi noted a new contract will come at a cost.
Now that Soto is off the board, Morosi said, the agents for Hernández, outfielder Anthony Santander, pitcher Max Fried, and others might ask for — and receive — an extra year tacked onto their contracts because of teams’ “latent appetite to spend” in free agency.
Expect an already lucrative offseason for baseball’s top free agents to rain even more money in a hurry.
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