Blue Jays’ rival linked to Teoscar Hernández would be the worst landing spot

Free agency is open for the offseason. After Monday's 5 p.m. ET deadline passed, free agents can talk to every team interested in their services, and vice versa. The Toronto Blue Jays didn't re-sign their lone free agent this winter, Ryan Yarbrough, before Monday, and he has gone to the open market.

As much as that might be a mistake on the front office's part, there's another free agent name that has been floating around for the last month or so that Blue Jays fans are probably more interested in anyway. Former Blue Jays outfielder and now World Series champion Teoscar Hernández is back on the free agent market following his one-year contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Blue Jays’ rival linked to Teoscar Hernández would be the worst landing spot

There has been plenty of fuss made about how much a reunion with the 32-year-old would benefit the Jays and appease the fanbase, but all signs point to Hernández not returning to Toronto. Despite fans' desire to see him put on a Blue Jays uniform again, he'd personally like to sign with the Dodgers again.

But there's another possible destination, according to MLB.com's Mark Feinsand, who listed Hernández as No. 15 in his recent ranking of top free agents. Along with the Atlanta Braves and Dodgers, Feinsand includes the Boston Red Sox as a fit.

Gross.

Can Blue Jays fans imagine anything more horrifying than seeing Teo suiting up for the AL East rival Red Sox? It was bad enough that Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins traded the beloved Jay in the first place, to the Seattle Mariners after the 2022 season. At least he was in the AL West, and then the NL West this past season.

A return to the AL East would be devastating, with the Jays slated to face Boston 13 times in regular season play. The only thing worse would be if he wound up with the New York Yankees. How's that for nightmare fuel?

Wherever Hernández signs this offseason, it's hard to see the Blue Jays doing anything other than watching him sign elsewhere after Atkins and company let an opportunity slip by them last winter. After inking a deal with the Dodgers for $23.5M, his success in 2024 will ensure he lands a multiyear pact worth much more.

After a couple of down years, Hernández had a resurgence at the plate this season, slashing .272/.339/.501 with 33 home runs and 99 RBI in 154 games. He also put together a solid postseason for the Dodgers, slashing .250/.352/.417, with three long balls and 12 RBI in 16 games. His 3.5 fWAR was the second-highest of his career, behind the 4.0 fWAR he posted in his monster 2021 season in Toronto.

The Blue Jays could have used that offense this season, and it would be most welcome in 2025. But if he's not returning to the AL East in Toronto, the last thing we want to see is a rejuvenated Hernández back in the division with the Red Sox. The best thing to hope for is that he stays out on the West Coast.