It’s been slow going on the Hot Stove, but a few more dominoes fell over the weekend. In some mid-level moves, the Dodgers added a slugging corner outfielder in Teoscar Hernandez, the Mets added Sean Manaea to their rotation, and the Mariners swung a trade with the Giants in a swap of Robbie Ray for Mitch Haniger. Let’s see what it all means.
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Teoscar Hernandez signs with the Dodgers
The Dodgers’ offseason just keeps getting better. ESPN’s Jeff Passan reported that the team signed free-agent outfielder Teoscar Hernandez to a one-year, $23.5 million contract. The 31-year-old slugger spent last season with the Mariners, slashing .258/.305/.435 with 26 homers, 93 RBI, and seven steals across a career-high 678 plate appearances. Despite less-than-stellar defense, Hernandez is expected to take over as the primary left fielder, with Shohei Ohtani occupying the everyday role at designated hitter. The move will shift Chris Taylor into a utility role, where he can fill in across the diamond against left-handed pitching, likely taking occasional starts from Max Muncy at third base or Gavin Lux at shortstop.
Hernandez had his best season in 2021, posting a .870 OPS with 32 homers and 12 steals with the Blue Jays. His flaws at the plate have been evident over his career, with an aggressive approach leading to a low walk rate and high strikeout rate. But his elite quality of contact has helped mask the contact deficiencies. Those skills are still very much intact, with a 13.8 percent barrel and 49.4 percent hard-hit rate. More swings and misses outside the strike zone brought a slight uptick in his strikeout rate, which could mean a return to a .296 batting average may be out the door now in his 30s. Still, he’s a relatively safe bet to at least repeat his 2023 campaign, with perhaps more homers and counting stats in a better park and lineup. Hernandez has had an average draft position of 149 in NFBC drafts since the start of December. That price will rise at least a round or two now that he’s a Dodger.
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The Mariners and Giants make a trade
The Mariners and Giants completed a trade on Friday, sending former Cy Young winner Robbie Ray to the Giants in exchange for Mitch Haniger and Anthony DeSclafani. San Francisco takes on the remaining three seasons of Ray’s five-year, $115 million contract. He has a potential opt-out after 2024. The Giants don’t expect the 32-year-old left-hander to contribute until after the All-Star break as he makes his way back from Tommy John surgery. Following his 2021 Cy Young season, Ray tossed 189 innings in 2022, posting a 3.71 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, and a 212/62 K/BB ratio. The move gives the team a potential front-line starter they can pair with Logan Webb over the next few seasons, something the team desperately needs. There won’t be much reason to draft Ray in fantasy leagues this spring, but he could be a waiver wire pickup in the second half.
Haniger returns to Seattle, where he spent five seasons from 2017-2022. He’ll fit right in as a direct replacement for Teoscar Hernandez. The 33-year-old slugger struggled in his one season with the Giants, hitting .209/.266/.365 with six homers across 229 plate appearances. The biggest problem was health for Haniger, who has struggled to stay off the injured list throughout his career. His batted ball metrics remained solid, with 10.9 percent barrel and 46.9 percent hard-hit rates. He vastly underperformed his .244 xBA and .433 xSLG. Given more playing time, there would have likely been plenty of correction in his performance. There’s still some power and RBI potential here as a dart throw in deeper mixed leagues.
Going to the Mariners with Haniger will be DeSclafani, who posted a 4.88 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, and a 79/20 K/BB ratio across 99 2/3 innings in San Francisco last season. The 33-year-old right-hander has one year left on his three-year, $36 million contract he signed following his excellent 2021 season in which he recorded a 3.17 ERA across 167 2/3 frames for the Giants. Injuries have limited him to 118 2/3 total innings over the last two seasons. And it remains to be seen what role he’ll have with the team that currently features a starting pitching staff of Luis Castillo, George Kirby, Logan Gilbert, Bryce Miller, and Bryan Woo. He could battle Woo or Miller for the final spot in the rotation but could be a better fit as a swingman. Regardless, there’s little upside for fantasy managers outside of an occasional stream in favorable matchups.
The Mets add Sean Manaea
Manaea lands in New York, signing with the Mets on a two-year, $28 million deal with an opt-out after the season. The 31-year-old left-hander recorded a 4.44 ERA, 1.24 WHIP, and a 128/42 K/BB ratio across 117 2/3 innings. He made most of his appearances in a long relief role, starting only ten games for the Giants. However, with the shorter outings, he saw a three-mile-per-hour rise in his fastball velocity that he maintained all season. And on May 30, he introduced a sweeper to his repertoire. From that point, he posted a 3.60 ERA and 1.09 WHIP over his final 85 frames. Manaea should be returning to a more traditional starter role with the Mets. If he can retain the fastball velocity with the new sweeper, there’s sneaky potential here as a late-round sleeper.
