Cold Kings host Predators; Ducks blanked by Capitals
The Dodgers’ signing of Teoscar Hernandez seems to complete their 2024 lineup — and put an end to Mookie Betts’ time in right field.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said in December that he had spoken to Betts and told him the six-time Gold Glove winner in right field would be the Dodgers’ everyday second baseman in 2024. At the time, general manager Brandon Gomes hesitated to portray the change as a certainty, saying the expectation was Betts would move between second base and right field as he did during the second half of the 2023 season.
But the addition of Hernandez to an outfield mix that also includes fellow right-handed hitters Chris Taylor and Manuel Margot has all but eliminated the need for Betts to move out to right field as a platoon partner for left-handed Jason Heyward.
“This is certainly an addition where it feels like Mookie will be playing the vast majority of second base,” Gomes said Tuesday. “It’s ‘TBD’ on if he’ll be needed in the outfield or not. But it certainly feels like less of a need than it was prior to this.”
Hernandez could play left field or right field at times, but he is expected to be “an everyday guy” despite career splits that favor platooning him against left-handed pitching.
“We certainly view Teo as an everyday outfielder for us,” Gomes said.
“These are the things that we want to continue to talk through as everybody gets settled. But it could be that Teo goes into right on the days that Jason’s not playing, and we have some combination of Margot, CT elsewhere. So we have different options there, which is really helpful.”
Hernandez said he didn’t have many choices on this winter’s slow-moving free agent market and didn’t expect to sign a one-year deal. But the opportunity to play for a championship contender and a team “that makes me a better player” led him to sign with the Dodgers.
“When the offseason started, in my mind I wanted to sign a multiyear deal, like every free agent. But everyone knows how hard it’s been this winter,” Hernandez said. “I had more choices, but I think this was best for me and my family. I’d rather take one year with the Dodgers and go to a team that is gonna make me better and hopefully everything goes well and we can win everything this year and see what happens next year.”
Hernandez’s one-year, $23 million contract includes just $15 million in salary this year with the rest deferred until 2030-39, a move aimed at lessening the impact on this year’s payroll. Even with that, the Dodgers’ 2024 payroll is now projected to top $300 million.
“I think every player wants to get all the money in the same year, but everyone knows the Dodgers are a little over the luxury tax,” Hernandez said. “So that was one of the options they gave me, they put it in my hands, and I decided to do it like that.”
LOS ANGELES >>
From staff and wire reports
Ahead of today’s bout with the Nashville Predators, the Kings scheduled an address from General Manager Rob Blake amid a stretch of nine losses in 10 outings.
The team did not respond to an inquiry regarding the general nature of Blake’s news conference, which is slated for after this morning’s skate. Regardless of its purpose, the Kings’ play of late has already left him with plenty of searing inquiries that require a response from the architect of this roster.
After dropping eight straight games, the Kings responded fabulously on Monday in Carolina, where they stared down a 1-1 score at the second intermission and blew the doors off of a 4-1 third period. That sent the Hurricanes home disappointed and moved the Kings to 6-0-1 in the first game of back-to-back sets.
But they’d only won once in the second half of such scheduling, and, predictably, fate swung the other way the following evening. The Kings saw a one-goal game turn into a four-goal loss in under four minutes of third-period action against the Dallas Stars. That left them to sport yet another lump from their season-long road trip and the nosedive that began four games before it.
The Kings have been largely uninspired at home this season, flirting with a .500 percentage at Crypto.com Arena, where they’ll play their next four games. Suddenly, they find themselves receding from the conversation about the Pacific Division title and dangling dangerously close to a wildcard spot or fading from the playoff picture altogether.
Tonight’s opponent, Nashville, is one of several slow-starting clubs now nipping at the Kings’ heels. The Kings will enter the contest with 50 points. Nashville has 49. The Predators started to pick up steam sooner than several other teams currently gathering jump force in the hopes of leapfrogging the Kings.
The Edmonton Oilers, Calgary Flames and Seattle Kraken each
UP NEXT
Kings:
Ducks: faced double-digit deficits in the divisional standings behind the Kings as recently as Dec. 11, an edge they had built since October’s season opener. In the noticeably shorter period of time since, just over a month, all three clubs have out-accumulated the Kings by eight points or more to each close to within three points or fewer.
The Kings made sweeping offseason changes to hurdle the Oilers and other Western Conference contenders. They included the heavenand-earth series of moves it took to acquire Pierre-luc Dubois and a change in net, where their previous tandem found new homes and they turned to a tripartite reclamation project in net, headed by Cam Talbot.
Talbot, who will represent the Kings at all-star weekend, has exceeded expectations, despite the fact that he doesn’t have a victory to show for his past eight appearances. His own numbers have varied, and his offensive support has sputtered consistently, scoring just 15 goals in those eight losses.
— Andrew Knoll