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Teoscar Hernández set for everyday role with Dodgers after slow free-agency process

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Teoscar Hernández set for everyday role with Dodgers after slow free-agency process

Two-way star Shohei Ohtani was the biggest name the Dodgers acquired during their spending spree this winter.

Veteran outfielder Teoscar Hernández, however, might have been the team’s best bargain of the offseason, joining the club on a one-year, $23.5-million deal that was christened Tuesday with a video call with reporters.

“I wanted to go to a team that can compete and be in the playoffs and … makes me a better player,” Hernández said. “That’s the biggest reason I signed with the Dodgers.”

Almost from the jump this offseason, Hernández had been on the team’s radar.

Club brass expressed interest in the 31-year-old as far back as November’s general manager meetings. Team evaluators were high on his chances to bounce back from a down — but still above average — performance in 2023, after the long-time Toronto Blue Jays star struggled to adapt to a trade to the Seattle Mariners last offseason.

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Even after the Dodgers’ earlier impact acquisitions of Ohtani, pitchers Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Tyler Glasnow, and fellow veteran outfielder Manuel Margot, the addition of another right-handed hitting outfielder remained a priority for the team.

And all along, Hernández’s name was near the top of their list.

“We’re planning on Teo being an everyday guy,” general manager Brandon Gomes said, confirming that Hernández will get full-time at-bats, as well as playing either of the corner outfield positions. “We feel like his power and ability to really handle left-handed pitching was an exceptional fit for how our lineup is constructed.”

The real surprise, when news of the deal broke last week, was that the 2021 All-Star, who has batted .261 in his career with 159 home runs, 473 RBI and an .802 on-base-plus-slugging percentage, was willing to take a one-year deal to come to Los Angeles.

Many pundits had predicted Hernández would get a multiyear deal, most commonly in the three-to-four season range. Those same projections pegged him to get anywhere from $45 million to $80 million in total guaranteed money.

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Like many other top free agents this winter, however, Hernández said he faced a slower-than-expected market. On Tuesday, he joined a growing chorus of voices around the industry who have noted a relative lack of market activity this offseason (the Dodgers’ $1 billion-plus spending spree aside).

“I wanted to sign a multiyear deal, like every free agent,” Hernández said. “But everyone knows how hard it’s been this winter … It’s not like I had a lot of choices.”

Mookie Betts, throwing to first to complete a double play against Manny Machado and the Padres on Aug. 4, 2023, will be the Dodgers’ primary second baseman in 2024.

(Gregory Bull / Associated Press)

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Instead, Hernández is hoping to help the Dodgers contend for a World Series title this year, cash in on an lucrative single-season salary in 2024 (albeit, with $8.5 million of his $23.5 million deferred until the 2030s), then have the opportunity to test the market again next winter, after what he hopes will be a bounce-back campaign at Chavez Ravine.

“I’d rather take one year with the Dodgers and go to a team that is gonna make me better,” Hernández said. “Hopefully everything goes well and we can win everything this year, and see what happens next year.”

Like the team’s other star additions this winter, Hernández represented the kind of signing the Dodgers didn’t make a winter ago.

Rather than splurge for a full-time outfielder in free agency last year, the team opted for platoons at all three positions. David Peralta and Chris Taylor shared at-bats in left. Mookie Betts split time in right field with Jason Heyward, who started on days Betts played second base. Trade deadline acquisition Kiké Hernández spelled rookie center fielder James Outman down the stretch.

At two of those outfield positions this coming season, the Dodgers will likely follow a similar script. While Betts will predominantly play second base, Heyward (a left-handed hitter) was re-signed to reprise his role against right-handed pitchers. Outman (also a left-handed hitter) will continue as the primary center fielder, but is also likely to play more versus right-handers than southpaws.

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On the other side of the plate, Taylor and Margot — who was added along with Glasnow in a trade with the Tampa Bay Rays — give the Dodgers right-handed alternatives to start against left-handed pitching.

When it came to their other outfield opening, though, the Dodgers wanted to think bigger in 2024.

Enter Hernández, who Gomes said could play both right and left field depending on different lineup configurations.

“I think what was very intriguing with Teo is that he crushes velocity, and crushes velocity up in the zone,” Gomes said. “He’s not susceptible to any one pitch type. He can hit all pitch types. And when he’s getting those pitches in the zone, he can do real damage. There’s a real danger behind what he brings to the plate.”

Hernández will still be something of a project for the Dodgers’ hitting staff.

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His .741 OPS last year marked a career-low for a full season. His 211 strikeouts were third-most in the majors. And while both he and Gomes cited Hernández’s skewed home-road splits as a reason for optimism — the slugger batted .295 in road games, but suffered a .217 average at pitcher-friendly T-Mobile Park in Seattle — each acknowledged the need to look for tweaks in his swing.

“I think when he can force pitchers into the zone a bit more, that’s when he’s really going to be at his best and able to really impact the baseball,” Gomes said.

To that end, Hernández’s new superstar teammates should help.

During his career-best performance in 2021, when he batted .296 with 32 home runs and 116 RBIs, Hernández said he benefited from all the other weapons in Toronto’s lineup, including Vladimir Guerrero Jr., George Springer and Marcus Semien.

“There was always a lot of people on base, and I think that makes me more patient at the plate, because I know they’re not gonna throw a lot of good pitches to hit,” Hernández said.

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Now as an everyday part of a Los Angeles lineup that also features Ohtani, Betts and Freddie Freeman, Hernández and the Dodgers are hoping next season will play out the same way.

“I think he will just add another challenge to navigate our lineup,” Gomes said.

“They’re hungry for winning, I’m hungry for winning,” Hernández added. “And I don’t think there’s a better place [to be] than the Dodgers right now.”

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Mike Breen says fans ‘deserve to be thrown a bone’ as NBA cuts all local broadcasts from the playoffs

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Mike Breen says fans ‘deserve to be thrown a bone’ as NBA cuts all local broadcasts from the playoffs

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Mike Breen, the New York Knicks’ play-by-play announcer and star NBA voice with ESPN, is not happy with a key league move heading into the NBA Playoffs.

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And he didn’t hold back his frustrations during the Knicks’ regular-season finale on Sunday night.

For the first time in NBA history, all local network broadcasts are being pushed out of the playoffs for nationally televised games. Those networks paid a premium to air the playoffs, but the league had always allowed the local home broadcast to be aired as well as the national TV spots in previous seasons.

ESPN play-by-play sports commentator Mike Breen looks on prior to the game between the Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers at the Wells Fargo Center on Feb. 25, 2023 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Celtics defeated the 76ers 110-107. (Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)

Breen, alongside his longtime partner, Knicks great Walt “Clyde” Frazier, ripped the league’s decision on the final day of his broadcasting duties for the Eastern Conference squad.

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“First time ever that no longer can the home team announcers and broadcasters televise the first round,” Breen mentioned during the 110-96 loss to the Charlotte Hornets while broadcasting on MSG.

KNICKS BROADCASTER’S JOKE COMPARING BULLS’ ‘OBLITERATED’ DEFENSE TO IRAN LEAVES PARTNER STUNNED

“The entire playoffs are exclusive to national TV broadcasters. I mentioned this earlier this season. I think, personally, Clyde, it’s a poor decision. Fans want to hear their home team announcers, at least in the first round. For so many of us, they become part of the family.”

Breen added that he understands “the networks pay a fortune for exclusivity,” granted he works for one of those networks on ESPN.

“But fans deserve to be thrown a bone once in a while in terms of letting the home team have a little bit of the first round,” he continued.

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The NBA reached a whopping $76 billion broadcast rights deal that kicked in at the start of this season, and it will last for the next 11 seasons. Like other pro sports leagues, the deal is carved out across various platforms, both long-standing networks and streaming.

ESPN play-by-play announcer Mike Breen calls the game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Dallas Mavericks at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California, on Jan. 17, 2024. (Kirby Lee/USA TODAY Sports)

While the NBA got together the deal it liked with Disney, Amazon and NBCUniversal, Breen hopes it would consider working something out to get local broadcasters back into the fold for the playoffs.

However, he knows how the business is at the end of the day.

“Somehow, if there’s any way they can work out some kind of compromise, I’m not hopeful for that, but it would be wonderful to have it because this is our final telecast of the season,” Breen said.

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Breen, now, will focus on his ESPN duties as the lead commentator for the “Worldwide Leader” on the court. His famous “Bang!” call on clutch three-pointers has been synonymous with the biggest moments in the NBA Playoffs for years now, and that will get started very soon as teams in both the East and West gun for their shot at the Larry O’Brien Trophy and to call themselves NBA Finals champions.

The Oklahoma City Thunder, the reigning Finals champs, are the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference once again, while teams like the San Antonio Spurs, Denver Nuggets and Los Angeles Lakers will battle them to be crowned conference champions.

Mike Breen looks on before the game between the Golden State Warriors and the Los Angeles Lakers during Round 2 Game 3 of the Western Conference Semi-Finals 2023 NBA Playoffs on May 6, 2023 at Crypto.Com Arena in Los Angeles, California. (Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE/Getty Images)

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In the East, Breen’s Knicks own the No. 3 seed, while the Detroit Pistons (No. 1) and Boston Celtics (No. 2) had successful regular-season campaigns to earn a top spot heading into the playoffs.

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The Play-In Tournament will be the first games for the NBA Playoffs, which will stream exclusively on Amazon Prime Video. Then, the first round will split its tipoffs on NBC/Peacock, Prime Video and ESPN.

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Jonathan Quick, who won two Stanley Cup titles with Kings, announces retirement from NHL

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Jonathan Quick, who won two Stanley Cup titles with Kings, announces retirement from NHL

New York Rangers goalkeeper Jonathan Quick is calling it a career after 19 NHL seasons and three Stanley Cup championships — with 16 of those seasons and two championships as a member of the Kings.

The 40-year-old goalie told reporters Monday that he would be playing in his final game that night when the Rangers visit the Florida Panthers. It will mark Quick’s 921st game appearance, counting playoffs.

“Tonight will be my last game in the league, and I am looking forward to it,” Quick said following the morning skate ahead at Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise, Fla. “My wife flew down with the kids, my parents will be here. I am looking forward to this last one, try to get one more win here.”

He added of his decision: “It just felt right. Felt like the right time. I put some thought into it.”

Selected by the Kings in the third round of the 2005 draft, Quick became a fixture in front of the net for L.A. during the 2008-09 season. He was a key member of the Kings’ Stanley Cup champion teams in 2012 and 2014, earning the Conn Smythe Trophy as the most valuable player of the 2012 Stanley Cup playoffs with a 16-4 record, a .946 save percentage and 1.41 goals-against average.

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Quick won a silver medal as a backup goaltender for the U.S. at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, although he did not see any playing time. At the 2014 Sochi Games, Quick went 3-2 as the starting goalie for the fourth-place U.S. team.

By March 2023, Quick was the Kings’ leader among goalies in the categories of total games (743), wins (370) and shutouts (57). At age 37, however, he had also lost a step or two. The Kings traded him to the Columbus Blue Jackets, who turned around and dealt him to the Vegas Golden Knights the next day.

Quick saw a decent amount of playing time down the stretch in the regular season because of injuries to the Golden Knights’ goaltenders. He didn’t make it into any games during the team’s championship run in the Stanley Cup playoffs.

After spending the last three seasons in New York, Quick is set to make his 70th and final start with the Rangers and add the final numbers to a stat line that currently includes 20,315 saves (18th most all time), 410 wins (12th most) and 65 shutouts (17th).

“He earned the respect of his teammates, coaches and staff members through his work ethic and dedication to his craft,” Rangers general manager Chris Drury said in a statement posted on social media. “Jonathan is a special person and player, and the entire Rangers organization wishes him — along with his wife, Jackie, and three children, Madison, Carter and Cash — all the best in retirement.”

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The Rangers are 33-38-9 and will miss the playoffs for the second straight season. They finish the year Wednesday night at Tampa Bay.

Another key member of the Kings championship teams, Anze Kopitar, also is retiring after this season, following 20 years in the NHL, all with L.A.

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ESPN star calls for 2017 Masters winner to have his lifetime exemption removed after meltdown

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ESPN star calls for 2017 Masters winner to have his lifetime exemption removed after meltdown

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ESPN star Mike Greenberg called for Sergio Garcia’s lifetime exemption into the Masters Tournament to be pulled after his antics on the course in the final round on Sunday.

Garcia received a code of conduct warning after he smashed his driver in frustration at Augusta National. He slammed his club into the turf twice after hitting a shot that ended up in the bunker. Then he took a swipe at a table with a green cooler on it.

ESPN personality Mike Greenberg is interviewed on radio row at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston, Texas, on Feb. 1, 2017, ahead of Super Bowl LI. (Jerry Lai/USA TODAY Sports)

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Greenberg seemingly saw Garcia’s anger as a detrimental issue.

“A lifetime exemption is a privilege extended by Augusta to its champions out of respect,” he wrote on X. “If that respect is not reciprocated, there is no law that says a past champ cannot be banned.

RORY MCILROY REPEATS AS MASTERS CHAMPION, JOINS RARE COMPANY AT AUGUSTA NATIONAL

Sergio Garcia lines up a putt on the second green during the first round of the Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Ga., on Apr. 9, 2026. (Michael Madrid/Imagn Images)

“I’m not sure they should have Sergio Garcia back after the garbage he pulled today.”

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Garcia, who competes in LIV Golf, won the Masters in 2017. It is his only major victory of his career. Since winning in 2017, he only made the cut for the final two rounds once. The feat came at this year’s tournament. He finished 52nd in the field.

Sergio Garcia plays his shot on the seventeenth hole during the second round of the Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Ga., on April 10, 2026. (Bill Streicher/Imagn Images)

He joined LIV Golf in 2022 as he was among the PGA Tour stars who left the organization. He has two wins in the series – at LIV Golf Andalucía in 2024 and LIV Golf Hong Kong in 2025. He played his way into a playoff four times, only winning the Andalucía event.

Fox News’ Ryan Morik contributed to this report.

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