logo
On this day two years ago: The Blue Jays traded Teoscar Hernández to the Mariners
alt
Photo credit: © Jayne Kamin-Oncea - USA Today
Ryley Delaney
Nov 16, 2024, 19:30 ESTUpdated: Nov 16, 2024, 19:14 EST
Comments
On this day two years ago, the Toronto Blue Jays made a trade.
After the team bowed out in the American League Wild Card Series in 2022 to the Seattle Mariners, they traded fan favourite Teoscar Hernández to the Mariners in exchange for reliever Erik Swanson and left-handed pitching prospect, Adam Macko.
Hernández was coming off a season where he slashed .267/.316/.491 with 25 home runs in 53 plate appearances for a 130 wRC+ and a 2.9 fWAR. From June 5, 2019, until he was traded, Hernández slashed .277/.332/.525 with 96 home runs in 1,660 plate appearances for a 131 wRC+.
However, a defensive lapse in the 2022 Wild Card Series, along with the Blue Jays’ desire to add a left-handed batter to the lineup prompted them to move on from Hernández.
The outfielder’s tenure in Seattle was brief and wasn’t particularly great. In 2023, Hernández slashed .258/.305/.435 with 26 home runs in 678 plate appearances, along with a 31.1 K% and a 5.6 BB% for a 106 wRC+.
As a free agent, he signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers. In 2024, Hernández slashed .272/.339/.501 with a career-high 33 home runs in 652 plate appearances for a 134 wRC+ and a 3.5 fWAR. Hernández was good in the postseason as well, slashing .250/.352/.417 with three home runs in 71 plate appearances en route to the Dodgers winning the World Series.
Moving on to what the Blue Jays acquired, Swanson was coming off a season where he had a 1.68 ERA and a 1.85 FIP in 53.2 innings pitched, along with a 34 K% and a 4.9 BB%. Swanson wasn’t as good in 2024, posting a respectable 2.97 ERA and a 3.51 FIP in 66.2 innings pitched, along with a 28.6 K% and an 8 BB%.
Unfortunately, his 2024 season, at least to start, was a disaster. Swanson started the season on the Injured List and pitched so poorly that the Blue Jays optioned the reliever who was their setup man a year prior. Some say the 31-year-old righty is a non-tender candidate, but upon his final call-up, he had a 2.55 ERA and a 4.95 FIP in 24.2 innings pitched, along with a 27.6 K% and a 10.2 BB%. Given all that happened in Spring Training, as well as his finish, it doesn’t seem sensible non-tender Swanson.
As for Macko, the 23-year-old left-handed starter was added to the 40-man roster after the 2023 season. In 81.1 innings pitched with the Double-A New Hampshire Fisher Cats in 2024, he had a 4.87 ERA and a 3.72 FIP, with a 26.4 K% and an 8.8 BB%. It’s only a matter of time before he makes the Blue Jays roster.
All in all, it sucks losing a fan favourite that can hit home runs, something the Blue Jays’ lineup desperately needs. However, it’s hard to say that this trade was a loss, given that Hernández was a free agent after the 2023 season and Swanson pitched well in 2023. The fact that they didn’t sign him at the end of the 2023 season though is a different story.
As always, you can follow me on Bluesky @ryleydelaney.bsky.social.

Featured

News

Breaking News