5 former Blue Jays we would love to see return in free agency

OF Teoscar Hernández

Finally, we have the one that practically everyone had been waiting for to make his illustrious return to Toronto in star outfielder Teoscar Hernández. Following his departure to Seattle as a result of a 2022-23 offseason trade with the Mariners that brought in reliever Erik Swanson and pitching prospect Adam Macko, the Jays haven’t been the same ever since. Once an offensive juggernaut in the league, Toronto had fallen significantly in the ranks across many offensive categories during the past couple of seasons without Hernández. In addition, they severely miss the clutch hitting that he often provided in helping the team win.

During his six seasons with the Jays, he consistently provided close to 30 home runs and 90 RBI each year across a 162-game schedule pace. In doing so, Hernández also became an All-Star and two-time Silver Slugger as a member of the Jays during that time frame. But more importantly, he was a significant piece in the heart of the Toronto lineup as he provided strong protection for Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and others that were ahead of him in the batting order. As a result, in effect, he also made his teammates better in the process as well. In total, his 129 home runs and 369 RBI in 609 career games as a Jay had been hard to replace.

This past season with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Hernández got his chance to show his true value both in the regular season and in the playoffs. In 154 regular season games, he compiled a solid .272 average, .840 OPS, along with 84 runs scored, 32 doubles, 33 home runs, 99 RBI and 12 stolen bases. Not to be outdone in the postseason, Hernández continued to put up stellar numbers with a .250 average, .769 OPS, together with eight runs scored, three home runs and 12 RBI in 16 playoff games. With his tremendous productivity, he helped the Dodgers to their second World Series title in five years in the process.

With the ability to perform at the top of his game on the biggest stage, that is exactly what the Jays seem to be missing from their roster. Despite Hernández recently expressing his desire to remain with the Dodgers’ organization, he did just turn down their qualifying offer, giving the Jays a glimmer of hope of making this reunion a reality. Factor in the fact that many of his friends are still on the team, along with hopefully a legitimate genuine offer from the Jays’ brass, it might just be good enough to get the job done.