Blue Jays are reportedly the “front-runners” to land Teoscar Hernandez from the Mariners

The Toronto Blue Jays have emerged as the front-runners to land Teoscar Hernandez ahead of today’s trade deadline, according to a report from Héctor Gomez. Gomez made his report in the form of a quote tweet on a John Morosi tweet, which originally stated that the Minnesota Twins are among the teams to inquire about both Seattle Mariners first baseman Ty France and Hernandez.

Toronto sent Hernandez to the Mariners this offseason in exchange for right-handed relief pitcher Erik Swanson and left-handed pitching prospect Adam Macko. The Jays originally acquired Hernandez from the Houston Astros when he was just 24 years old ahead of the 2017 MLB Trade Deadline. Toronto sent veteran pitcher Francisco Loriano back the other way and also added Nori Aoki in the deal.

Hernandez made a name for himself with the Blue Jays and was named an All-Star in 2021. Over eight seasons with Toronto, Hernandez slashed .258/.315/.485 en route to picking up AL Silver Slugger honours in both 2020 and 2021.

The Mariners have been incredibly mediocre this season, and have struggled to raise their record above .500 at any given time. Many expect Seattle to be big players in the Shohei Ohtani sweepstakes this offseason, and the club’s play on the field has given the front office no reason not to punt on this season, which is what it appears they’re doing. The Mariners already dealt veteran outfielder AJ Pollock to the San Francisco Giants yesterday, along with high-leverage reliever Paul Sewald to the Arizona Diamondbacks.

This season with the Mariners, Hernandez is batting .238 with 59 RBI and 16 home runs. Given Jays fans’ familiarity with him, there’s little doubt that Hernandez would be a solid addition to Toronto’s lineup down the home stretch of the season.

The Jays have already landed shortstop Paul DeJong from the St. Louis Cardinals today, and it will be interesting to see if they’re able to come to an agreement that makes sense for both them and the Mariners to pull the trigger on a trade to reunite Hernandez with his former teammates.