Source – Dodgers, Michael Conforto reaches 1-year, $17M deal

DALLAS – The Los Angeles Dodgers, in need of help in their outfield and after missing out on signing Juan Soto, agreed to terms with Michael Conforto on a one-year, $17 million contract, a source told ESPN Sunday night.

Conforto, 31, spent the last two years with the San Francisco Giants, hitting .238/.322/.418 with 35 homers and 124 RBIs in 255 games while playing both left and right field. Conforto was especially productive against opposing right-handed pitchers last season, slashing .284/.349/.537 in 106 plate appearances.

In Major League Baseball’s winter meetings, which begin Monday, the Dodgers were among five finalists for Soto, along with the New York Yankees, New York Mets, Boston Red Sox and Toronto Blue Jays. And although the Dodgers made what the sources described as a competitive offer, it was the Mets who landed Soto on a 15-year, $765 million deal.

The question is how the Conforto signing might affect the Dodgers’ pursuit of Teoscar Hernández, another free agent corner who was a favorite in the clubhouse amid LA’s championship run this year.

The Dodgers and Hernández have been in talks for the past few weeks but have been unable to bridge the gap, sources familiar with the process have said.

Despite adding Conforto, right-handed batter Hernández could still fit into the Dodgers’ plans. Currently, Conforto, Tommy Edman and Andy Pages project as the Dodgers’ outfielders in 2025, with Mookie Betts again shifting to the middle infield. But Edman could also see a lot of time at shortstop depending on what other moves are made in the offseason.

If the Dodgers don’t come to terms with Hernández, both the Yankees and Red Sox are expected to aggressively pursue him. Others can also turn in his direction.

Conforto looked like a rising star with the Mets early in his career, producing an .864 OPS and 12.2 Baseball-Reference wins above replacement from 2017 to 2020. But he had a down year in 2021, declined the Mets’ qualifying offer and received only a few. interest as a free agent during the lockout-shortened offseason then injured his shoulder while training, leading to surgery that kept him out for all of 2022.

After two solid but unspectacular years in San Francisco, he will fill the Dodgers’ need for a left-handed hitting outfielder.