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On this day three years ago: Blue Jays trade Teoscar Hernández to Mariners
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Photo credit: © Gerry Angus-USA TODAY Sports
Ryley Delaney
Nov 16, 2025, 10:00 ESTUpdated: Nov 16, 2025, 09:43 EST
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Sometimes a team wins a trade, sometimes a team loses a trade, and sometimes there are “nothing” trades.
Sunday marks the third anniversary of the Teoscar Hernández trade, as the Toronto Blue Jays sent the outfielder to the Seattle Mariners in exchange for Adam Macko and Erik Swanson. Three years later, only one of the three players remains with their new organization.
The Blue Jays acquired Hernández before the 2017 trade deadline, with the outfielder breaking out in June of 2019 after a stint in Triple-A. Over his next 1660 plate appearances from Jun. 5, 2019, until the end of the 2022 season, Hernández slashed .277/.332/.525 with 96 home runs, for a 131 wRC+. During that span, he earned MVP votes in 2020 and 2021, the same two years he won a Silver Slugger for the outfield. He also earned his first All-Star Game nomination in 2021.
Hernández’s defence was always questionable, and his lack of range showed in Game 2 of the 2022 Wild Card Series, a game in which the Blue Jays blew an 8-1 lead to the Mariners. Just over a month later, the Blue Jays sent Hernández to those same Mariners for a reliever and a prospect.
It was a heavy price to pay considering Hernández’s past three and a half seasons, but at the time, Swanson looked worth it. The right-handed pitcher was coming off a 2022 season in which he posted a 1.68 ERA and 1.85 FIP over 53.2 innings, with a 34 K% and 4.9 BB%. Unsurprisingly, Swanson regressed a bit in 2023, finishing the season with a 2.97 ERA and 3.51 FIP in 66.2 innings pitched, with a 28.6 K% and an 8 BB%.
Hernández only played one season with the Mariners as he was set to become a free agent after the 2023 season. In 678 plate appearances, the outfielder slashed .258/.305/.435 with 26 home runs for a 107 wRC+, his worst season since the 2019 season. Afterwards, Hernández signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers, winning back-to-back World Series, with Hernández regaining his form in 2024, before being around league average in 2025.
Swanson, on the other hand, struggled in 2024. He missed the start of the season due to an injury and finished the year with a 5.03 ERA and 6.06 FIP in 39.1 innings pitched, being optioned midway through the season. Upon his recall in late July, Swanson performed well, posting a 2.55 ERA and 4.95 FIP in 24.2 innings pitched, but gave up five home runs in that span.
The end of his 2024 season was encouraging, but after just five and one-third innings pitched in 2025, where he gave up nine earned runs, Swanson was designated for assignment and has yet to find a new team.
That leaves Macko as the lone player from the trade to stick around. The left-handed pitcher was added to the Blue Jays’ 40-man roster before the 2024 season and finished the 2025 season with a 5.06 ERA and 4.56 FIP in 64 innings pitched in Triple-A. Beginning the season on the Injured List because of a knee surgery, Macko finished the year with a 3 ERA and 4.57 FIP in his final 39 innings pitched with the Buffalo Bisons.
There’s a chance the left-handed pitcher will make his big league debut with the Blue Jays at some point next season, as he’s one of a handful of pitchers on the 40-man roster that can give the team length.
Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for Blue Jays Nation, Oilersnation, and FlamesNation. She can be followed on Twitter @Ryley__Delaney.

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