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The Los Angeles Dodgers' most apparent trade chip this offseason is Teoscar Hernandez, but moving him is proving more complicated than initially thought. Hernandez, 34, is coming off a subpar offensive season and ranks among the league's weakest defensive outfielders. He is also on an expiring contract that will pay him roughly $17 million in 2027, with a $15 million club option for 2028. For a Dodgers team aiming to get younger on offense, Hernandez stands out as one of the few movable pieces.
The rationale behind a Hernandez trade would be to free up left field for top prospect Josue De Paula, who made a splash in September as a replacement for the injured Shohei Ohtani at designated hitter. In 11 games, De Paula batted .323 with a 1.081 OPS, recording more walks (11) and RBIs (seven) than strikeouts (five). However, De Paula saw time only as a DH due to defensive struggles and was used sparingly in the postseason once Ohtani returned. The Dodgers would love to have De Paula's bat in the lineup every day in 2027, but for that to happen, he must drastically improve his defense.
The organization is confident De Paula can develop into an above-average defender, and in a typical offseason, the 21-year-old would be on a fast track to do so. But Major League Baseball is set to enter a lockout on Dec. 1, which will bar Dodgers coaches and team officials from any contact with players on the 40-man roster. As a result, De Paula will be left to work on his defense independently, and the Dodgers won't know how he's progressing until the lockout ends—whenever that may be.
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Because of that uncertainty, the Dodgers may be reluctant to trade Hernandez, who remains a valuable middle-of-the-order bat. The last thing they want is to deal Hernandez only to find De Paula nowhere near ready for an everyday defensive role in spring training. The Athletic's Katie Woo explained how this dynamic is shaping the team's offseason plans. "The Dodgers rostered the oldest position-playing group in baseball last season, and they want to get younger. An obvious way to do that is to deal Teoscar Hernandez, whom the Dodgers shopped last winter, to clear a spot for De Paula," Woo wrote. "But because a pending lockout will prohibit clubs from contacting players on their 40-man roster, there will be no way for the organization to assess De Paula's development throughout the offseason. Per a team source, that has given the Dodgers pause about whether they should trade Hernandez."
Woo added: "If De Paula isn't ready, the Dodgers risk creating a major hole in their outfield. A platoon of Hernandez and De Paula is possible, but the Dodgers would likely prefer De Paula get consistent at-bats for his development." The Dodgers will still be open to moving Hernandez, but it appears far from a sure thing heading into an unprecedented winter. At this week's GM meetings, Dodgers general manager Brandon Gomes was asked about potentially trading from the MLB roster. "As far as due diligence, we'll always listen," he said. "We feel really good about the core of this team, what our guys have done, and even looking forward coming in, knowing guys are hungry after the way things ended. So, as far as due diligence, sure. But actively looking to do anything, we feel really good about this group."