"Good now offer Juan Soto 600 million 12 years";"That is insulting offer" - Fans react as Teoscar Hernández turns down Dodgers’ qualifying proposal
Coming into the offseason, not many were sure whether Los Angeles Dodgers slugger Teoscar Hernández would accept a one-year qualifying offer. The offer was for $21.05 million and it would keep him in L.A. for the 2025 season.
However, on Tuesday it was reported that Hernández had declined the qualifying offer. He will now head to the open market as an intriguing free-agent option for teams looking for an outfield bat.
Hernández is coming off a season where he played in 154 games, hitting .272/.339/.501 with a career-high 33 home runs and 99 runs batted in. That is the success that plenty of teams would love to have next season.
Fans seem to be pretty split on Hernández's decision to turn down the offer. On one hand, it clears room for the club to go after Juan Soto. On the other hand, some fans see the qualifying offer being way too low for someone of his value.
"Good now offer [Juan] Soto $600 million [for] 12 years" one fan posted.
"That is [an] insulting offer" said another.
"He's gone smh" said another.
Declining his option, some fans think that is the end of his Dodgers' run. However, the club would still be able to re-sign him to a different contract this winter.
"21 mill this man literally helped get to the World Series pay him more!!" said another.
"Pay the Man please!" said another.
"All out for Soto then" said another.
The fanbase wants to see the club either give Hernández what he is worth or be aggressive in their pursuit of Soto.
Dodgers meet with Juan Soto the day Teoscar Hernández declines offer
Teoscar Hernández's decision comes on the day the Dodgers are reportedly meeting with Soto. They join teams like the New York Mets, New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, and Toronto Blue Jays as having met with the slugger.
There has also been a mystery team that has met with Soto as well. On top of that, the San Francisco Giants, Philadelphia Phillies, and Tampa Bay Rays are other teams that are known to have an interest in him.
This is one player that is expected to have quite a busy winter. He is the top-rated free agent on the open market and has the talent to change a team's direction completely.