2 free agents and 1 trade candidate to go after if the Mets miss out on Juan Soto

Sign Teoscar Hernandez away from the Dodgers

The Dodgers signed Teoscar Hernandez to a one-year contract last off-season. Even though he signed for $23.5 million, the deal turned out great for both the Dodgers and Hernandez. The slugger had one of the best seasons of his career in 2024 and will look to capitalize on that this off-season.

Hernandez turned in a .272/.339/.501 triple-slash. His 33 home runs were a career-high, as was his .229 isolated slugging percentage. Hernandez’s 8.1% walk rate was the most frequent rate he’s put up since 2019. But he regularly strikes out at a poor rate and went down on strike three 28.8% of the time. Still, his production amounted to a robust .360 wOBA and 134 wRC+ across 652 plate appearances.

Hernandez’s underlying numbers were also outstanding. He was in the 83rd percentile of xwOBA and the 91st percentile of xSLG%. The slugger consistently ranks among the best in barrel rate. This year, he was in the 91st percentile of barrel percentage at 14.9%, the tenth best in the league, and ahead of Bobby Witt Jr., Vlad Guerrero Jr., and Yordan Alvarez, just to name a few.

Hernandez split his time between left field and right field for the Dodgers. He was a poor defender in left with -8 DRS, a +1.6 UZR/150, and -11 OAA in just 871 innings. But over in right field, Hernandez put up +5 DRS, a +17.9 UZR/150, and only -1 OAA in 436.1 innings. Hernandez was in the 70th percentile of arm strength, so he can play either outfield corner, but is likely best suited for right field.

MLB Trade Rumors estimates that Hernandez will sign a three-year deal worth $60 million, reaching an AAV of $20 million. If the Mets somehow lose out to another team on Soto, this should be the outfielder they immediately pivot toward. Hernandez consistently hits for a good amount of power and is an upgrade over Starling Marte.