According to a report from Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, the Los Angeles Dodgers and free agent outfielder Teoscar Hernandez remain at a stalemate in their contract discussions, causing the Dodgers to at least consider other options.
If a deal between Hernandez and the Dodgers falls though, the Toronto Blue Jays may stand to benefit. The Jays have been tied to a possible Hernandez reunion ever since missing out on Juan Soto earlier this offseason. Adding him to the middle of the order would give Vladimir Guerrero Jr. another running mate and would greatly increase the team’s offensive potency. Furthermore, it may help signal to Guerrero Jr. that the organization is serious about winning and capable of landing big names, which might make him more likely to stay after he hits free agency at the end of the year.
A nine-year veteran, Hernandez spent six seasons with the Blue Jays. He helped lead them to the playoffs in 2020 and 2022, making the All-Star Game in 2021.
Heading into the 2023 season, the Blue Jays traded away Hernandez to the Seattle Mariners. Hernandez was surging into the final year of his contract and the team wanted to save some money and clearly felt they could replace his production. The team also dealt away Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and replaced them with Daulton Varsho and Kevin Kiermaier. While Toronto did make the playoffs in 2023, they finished last in the American League East this past season.
Hernandez hit .272 with 33 homers and 99 RBI this season for the Dodgers, helping them win the World Series over the New York Yankees. He made the All-Star Game once more.
