There’s no denying it: Teoscar Hernandez’s performance with the Los Angeles Dodgers has been award-winning, and something the Tigers could’ve used this season.
Last offseason, Hernandez was coming off a one-year, $23.5 million contract with the Dodgers. He finished the season with a slash line of .271/.339/.840. He also hit a career high 33 home runs, 4.3 WAR, and his second All-Star nod. It was his best season at the plate.
He was adamant that he wanted to stay a Dodger during the 2024 campaign and offseason — especially since he had just won a ring — but just think about an alternative universe where the Tigers overpaid for the slugger. After all, according to reports, there was a discussion that Hernandez could be an option for the Tigers last offseason.
Hernandez’s services came with a price, but because he wanted to rejoin the Dodgers he took less money. He felt other teams would offer him a few more million, but that apparently didn’t matter to him. Then again, we all know money talks, and Detroit could’ve probably eclipsed the three-year, $66 million offer he got from LA. They wouldn’t have needed to defer money, either. You never know, he could’ve been intrigued.
The Tigers struggled at the plate after the All-Star break and this postseason, proving another bat, especially one as potent and clutch as Hernandez’s, would have gone a long way.
Looking at the prospects for last offseason’s additions, Hernandez was one of the best options. It’s been hard for the Tigers to sign players in the offseason due to location and lack of other free agent signees. The Tigers tried to sign Alex Bregman and came close before he signed with the Red Sox.
Hernandez would most likely occupy the DH spot in the lineup since he’s a poor defender. That might’ve created a redundancy with Kerry Carpenter, but AJ Hinch did an excellent job cycling guys in and out of the DH spot. An All-Star and a Sliver Slugger performance would have benefitted the Tigers and maybe pushed them over the hump into the ALCS this season.
A couple of clutch hits against the Mariners in the ALDS completely changes the Tigers’ trajectory. In Game 5, the meat of the Tigers batting order went 0-for-23. Hernandez has belted a number of home runs this postseason that have completely changed the Dodgers’ fortunes. And the fact the Blue Jays went to seven games withe Seattle in the ALCS shows Detroit may have one been 1-2 bats away from the Fall Classic.
This should be a lesson to the Tigers this offseason: if there’s a clutch bat out there with proven playoff production, it might be time to out-bid the competition. If the fit is imperfect, it’s ok: Hinch will figure it out.
