NEW YORK — The Yankees face a familiar offseason challenge after another abrupt October exit. Their offense let them down in October, leaving the club with a clear offseason priority: reinforce the offense around Aaron Judge.
Adding power is part of that task. Finding more reliable production and a better balance between right-handed and left-handed hitters is another.
A reliable right-handed bat would give the Yankees another option alongside Judge and help balance their left-handed-heavy lineup. The aim is to build an offense that gives opposing pitchers fewer favorable matchups and does not depend so heavily on its biggest star.
Trent Grisham’s free agency adds an outfield decision to that search. If the Yankees move on, they must replace his offensive contribution while determining who handles center field. Those needs overlap, but one acquisition would not necessarily solve both.
That is what makes a potential trade for a two-time World Series champion tempting and complicated. He offers right-handed power, but he plays the corner outfield positions. Adding him could require moving Cody Bellinger to center or finding another arrangement involving Spencer Jones. The Yankees would have to weigh the offensive benefit against the defensive changes and acquisition cost.
2x champion bat enters Yankees trade conversation
The Dodgers are heading to a roster shakeup after their NLCS exit this season. Outfielder Teoscar Hernandez, who is on his last year of contract, has been identified as an offseason trade candidate by Mark Polishuk of MLB Trade Rumors. The Yankees with Toronto and Houston are also identified as potential fits.
The attraction is straightforward. Hernandez bats right-handed, has World Series experience and owns 233 career regular-season home runs. He could help balance a New York lineup with several left-handed bats. But his latest season makes the acquisition far less straightforward than his résumé suggests.
Hernandez, who turned 34 in October, hit .267 with 16 home runs, 64 RBIs and a .759 OPS in 125 games in 2026. His 2025 season produced 25 home runs and a .738 OPS. His batting average and on-base percentage improved this year, but the home run decline undercuts the premise of paying primarily for another proven slugger.
The defensive cost could reach center field
The most consequential drawback is not limited to Hernandez’s own position. Baseball Savant credited him with minus-six Outs Above Average in 2026 after minus-nine in each of the previous two seasons. Those figures indicate below-average range over a sustained period rather than one isolated poor year.
If Hernandez were installed in left field, the Yankees could move Bellinger into center and reduce the immediate pressure on Spencer Jones. That arrangement would add a veteran bat but shift a versatile defender into a more demanding position to accommodate a negative-value corner glove.
This is the hidden cost of the proposed fit: the Yankees would not simply acquire Hernandez’s offense. They would commit to a chain of defensive adjustments while potentially restricting Jones’ playing time. The result could be a more expensive lineup without an equal gain in overall run prevention.
One season of control adds another complication
Hernandez is entering the final guaranteed season of the three-year, $66 million contract he signed with Los Angeles. His 2027 base salary is $14.5 million, and the deal includes deferred money and option provisions. The full trade economics would depend on how the clubs handle those obligations.
New York would also need to determine what the Dodgers want in return. Giving up a meaningful prospect for one guaranteed season of a 34-year-old coming off reduced home run production would raise the stakes. Any significant salary relief from Los Angeles could change the calculation.
His recent injury history adds another variable. Hernandez missed time with a left hamstring strain in 2026, landing on the injured list May 29 before returning June 29. The Yankees must weigh that absence alongside his age and the outfield workload they would expect him to carry.
Yankees have more pressing ways to improve
A short-term trade could still make sense at a modest acquisition cost, especially if the Dodgers absorb salary and the Yankees retain flexibility to address the infield and bullpen. Hernandez’s right-handed bat is a legitimate attribute, and his experience would give Boone another established option.
But the roster already has Judge in right field, Bellinger in left and Jones competing for center. New York also has unsettled infield roles and needs relief pitching. In that context, an expensive corner outfielder whose defense has consistently rated below average is a questionable first priority.
The issue for Cashman is whether an affordable trade package can produce a meaningful net upgrade, not simply whether another right-handed bat is available.
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