The thinking that would sign early in the offseason or in the immediate aftermath of s decision has not played out as such. The 32-year-old slugger remains unsigned, reportedly juggling interest from at least the Dodgers, , and to this point in the winter. Hernandez and the incumbent Dodgers have been in Hernandezs asking price and the teams offer. further context, reporting that Hernandez is seeking a three-year deal thatll guarantee him $22-24MM annually. A three-year deal in $66-72MM range would generally dovetail with expectations. Hernandezs agent, Rafa Nieves, already stated earlier in the offseason that Hernandez had been seeking three years last offseason when they pivoted and took a one-year deal in Los Angeles. A three-year deal on the heels of the sluggers rebound campaign in L.A. seemed (and Victor Rask Jersey still seems) reasonable, even though hes now headed into his age-32 season after rejecting a qualifying offer (and thus attaching himself to draft pick compensation). That $22-24MM range would align with last years $23MM salary (though some of that was deferred, dinging the net present value a bit). With Soto off the board, Hernandez and fellow slugger are the top corner outfield bats on the free agent market. Santander is two years younger but is also reportedly seeking a five-year deal after swatting 44 homers for the Orioles in 2024. Both players rejected QOs. Hernandez is the more affordable of the two but is also older and more strikeout-prone. The presence of on the trade market and the recent emergence of the mightve combined to slow things down for Hernandezs market, speculatively speaking. Hernandez turned in a .272/.339/.501 slash with a career-high 33 home runs last season before going on to hit .250/.352/.417 in postseason play. His 28.8% strikeout rate was an improvement over his 31.1% mark from 2023 but still sat about six percentage points higher than league average. His 8.1% walk rate was the second-best of his career but fell right in line with the 8.2% league average. At this point, teams can expect plus power, a below-average walk rate and more strikeouts than theyd prefer from Hernandez. He drew well below-average marks for his defense, but Hernandez has plus speed and above-average arm strength, per Statcast, so a team might think theres enough raw talent to coax some better performance out of him. The defensive concerns do make a multi-year reunion with the Dodgers a potentially problematic pairing, however. Hernandez has said he hopes to return and the Dodgers are clearly open to a reunion. Beating the rest of the market when Hernandez is already 32 and theres no DH opportunity thanks to the presence of could make a long-term arrangement worrisome for Los Angeles in a way thats not the case with other Hernandez suitors. Brent Burns Jersey