The Toronto Blue Jays were still beating themselves up for releasing Teoscar Hernandez. During the 2022-23 winter, they traded Hernandez to the Seattle Mariners, where he spent one season before joining with the Los Angeles Dodgers in free agency.
But the Blue Jays should never have released him in the first place.
Hernandez hit.263/.320/.503 in 609 games with Toronto, including 129 home runs. He consistently posted.800 OPS seasons and appeared to have a bright future in Toronto, but the front office chose to trade him rather than pay him.
Hernandez was outstanding for the Dodgers this season, hitting.272/.339/.501 with a career-high 33 home runs. Hernandez is slated to hit free agency this offseason after signing a one-year contract with the Dodgers last season.
However, the Blue Jays appear to have a better chance than ever of reuniting with their former longstanding slugger.
Dodgers-Hernandez not engaged in contract extension talks, opening door for Blue Jays reunion
Hernandez has revealed that the Dodgers have not discussed an in-season contract extension with him.
As Hernandez continued to amaze with his bat this season, speculation that the Blue Jays may be a good match for him to return has grown. However, separating him from the Dodgers may be difficult considering that he has stated repeatedly that he appreciates being a member of this club.
But don’t rule out Toronto. Ross Atkins has stated that the team was not necessarily rebuilding when they sold at the deadline. Furthermore, they were simply removing their expired contracts and refilling their lineup for 2025.
With that in mind, I expect them to be quite active in free agency this year, particularly when it comes to bringing back a player who has spent six seasons and over 600 games with the team.
The Dodgers did not extend him throughout the season. They didn’t even attempt it. The door is wide open for the Blue Jays to rush in and try to sign him this winter.
