Teoscar Hernández is headed back to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The free agent outfielder has agreed with the reigning World Series champions on a $66 million, three-year contract, a person familiar with the deal told The Associated Press late Friday night.
The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the move had not been announced by the team.
After initially looking for a three-year contract that never materialized in free agency last offseason, Hernández and his representatives turned their focus to getting the best short-term deal from the best team interested. That led to a $23.5 million, one-year deal with the Dodgers, where he joined a loaded lineup that included Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman.
Hernández wanted to play deep into October, and did, becoming a a World Series champion during an All-Star season when he was the Home Run Derby champion and won his third career Silver Slugger, which got him a $1 million bonus.
The Dominican outfielder had a huge impact as the Dodgers won their second World Series title in five seasons. He hit .272 with a career-high 33 homers and 99 RBIs in 154 regular-season games.
Hernández had made it clear he wanted to stay in Los Angeles, saying that was his priority. He got emotional when thanking fans during the World Series celebration at Dodger Stadium after the club’s championship parade.
“I play this game to win,” he told the fans that day. “And the Dodgers gave me the opportunity to come here so I could help this organization, this team, these people, this city, win a championship. You guys made this dream come true. Thank you for making me a world champion.”
Now they will get to try to do it again, with Hernández likely switching from left field to right field, his best defensive position. There are plans for Betts to move back into the infield next season.