Reunion with popular ex-Blue Jay a larger possibility after latest rumblings

There are still a few weeks until the Major League Baseball season ends and the offseason officially begins. With a lengthy wait between the Toronto Blue Jays' final game of the regular season and the beginning of free agency, there's plenty of time for rumors to grow and speculation to abound.

The Blue Jays have already been mentioned as a suitor for Juan Soto, even if it seems a longshot, as well as slugging outfielder Anthony Santander.

If the Blue Jays are looking for some extra pop in their outfield lineup, there's a familiar face who might fit the bill. Former Blue Jays outfielder Teoscar Hernández will be a free agent come season's end. From the most recent reports from the West Coast, he hasn't made any plans for the future with his current team, the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Is a reunion with popular ex-Blue Jay Teoscar Hernández a possibility for 2025?

According to Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic, Hernández revealed that he and the Dodgers haven't had any extension talks. He signed a one-year, $23.5M deal with Los Angeles last winter after spending the 2023 season in Seattle.

After half-heartedly feigning interest in bringing back the soon-to-be 32-year-old last offseason, will the Blue Jays front office consider another kick at the can more seriously this winter?

The Dodgers may offer Hernández a qualifying offer of $21.05M after the season. He'll likely turn that down in favor of taking his services to the open market. Anthony Franco of MLB Trade Rumors predicts he'll get a three- or four-year deal valued at roughly $20M per season.

A fan-favorite player while he was with the Blue Jays, Hernández spent parts of five seasons in Toronto, hitting .263 with an .823 OPS, 129 home runs and 369 RBI, earning an All-Star nod in 2021 and a pair of Silver Sluggers. The team traded him to the Mariners for Erik Swanson and Adam Macko following the 2022 playoff collapse.

He didn't do enough in Seattle to earn a big free-agent contract, hitting .258 with a .740 OPS, although he still put up 26 home runs and 93 RBI. But a bounce-back season with the Dodgers in 2024, in which he batted .272 with an .840 OPS, 33 home runs and 99 RBI in 154 games, will serve him well in free agency.

While he has been vocal about his love for playing in Los Angeles, per Ardaya, you can envision a world in which he triumphantly returns to Toronto to join forces with Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette again — especially with the front office adamant about contending next season.

As MLB.com's Keegan Matheson reports, the Blue Jays' outfield could be in flux to begin the 2025 season with Daulton Varsho's recovery time and return from shoulder surgery uncertain.

Sportsnet's Hazel Mae caught up with Hernández during his playoff run with the Dodgers and asked him about how his experience in the postseason with the Blue Jays helped him become the player he is now.

"Going through games, going through moments, special moments, exciting moments with a special group," Hernández said. "Just trying to control all the emotions that happen during the games. Just trying to control yourself and not trying to do too much, and just give what you got on that day and hopefully it works for the team.

The incredibly popular former Blue Jay with the larger-than-life smile is a couple of years older and a couple of years wiser. A veteran like Hernández could be a benefit as a mentor to the young crop of Blue Jays just beginning their MLB journeys, and provide the team that has playoff aspirations with some insurance.