The Philadelphia Phillies "touched base" with Teoscar Hernández after he hit free agency following his World Series win with the Los Angeles Dodgers, according to The Athletic's Matt Gelb.

According to Gelb, the expectation around MLB is that Hernández will instead re-sign with the Dodgers.

Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski has previously indicated that one of the Phillies' offseason priorities is to find a new left or center fielder in free agency (h/t MLB.com's Todd Zolecki).

Hernández represents one of the top outfielders hitting free agency this winter outside of the New York Mets' Juan Soto. The Toronto Blue Jays are interested in signing him, general manager Ross Atkins confirmed on Monday.

The Boston Red Sox are also expected to pursue Hernández, per MLB.com's Mark Feinsand.

Hernández might not be the only outfielder the Phillies are competing for this winter. Philadelphia has also "inquired and tried to find a package that would work" in a potential trade for Houston Astros outfielder Kyle Tucker, according to the New York Post's Joel Sherman.

The New York Yankees, Chicago Cubs and San Francisco Giants are also interested in acquiring Tucker, according to Sherman.

Dombrowski has indicated that the Phillies will prioritize an addition at left field, given that Johan Rojas and Brandon Marsh could conceivably slot in at center, according to Gelb.

"So when I say upgrade, I've always said left field or center field because we could play Marsh in center field. Or Rojas," Dombrowski said, per Gelb. "I can't say that we'll end up doing that. I do not know at this point."

The Phillies' NLDS loss to the New York Mets may have influenced Dombrowski's urgency to make a change in the outfield. Both Marsh and Rojas, who combined for two hits and no runs in the series, were non-factors on offense as the Phillies were eliminated in five games.

Hernández meanwhile followed up his career-high 33 home runs in the 2024 season with three more postseason homers to help the Dodgers clinch the title.

That postseason success makes Hernández an appealing candidate for a Phillies team looking to get back to the World Series for the first time since losing to the Astros in 2022. But Hernández has indicated he wants to return to the Dodgers, and no MLB club is better at finding ways to pay as many star players as possible.

The Phillies may have to turn their attention toward Tucker or other candidates including free-agent outfielder Anthony Santander as they look to get more production from their outfield in 2025.