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Blue Jays: A reunion with Teoscar Hernández doesn’t make sense
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Photo credit: © Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images
Cynthia Ryley Delaney
Oct 31, 2026, 10:00 EDTUpdated: Oct 30, 2026, 21:04 EDT
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The Toronto Blue Jays need to make some additions to their outfield.
According to Pat Ragazzo of Dodgers Way, a FanSided site, a source told them that the Blue Jays have interest in Teoscar Hernández after whiffing on Kyle Tucker sweepstakes last winter.
Some of Hernández’ best seasons came with the Blue Jays, but does re-acquiring the now 34-year-old make sense? Let’s find out!

The Blue Jays’ need for an outfielder

Let’s start with what the Blue Jays need to add this off-season.
With Addison Barger’s injury and Daulton Varsho’s eventual trade, the team had a rotating cast of outfielders in 2026. Hopefully, Barger will be back to start the 2027 season, but that still leaves a spot to fill in left field as long as Brett Bateman is penciled in as the team’s everyday centre fielder.
Although the 2026-27 free agency class doesn’t have a bunch of high profile names as in past years, there are still plenty of outfielders who would make this team better, such as Teruaki Satō, Seiya Suzuki, Ian Happ, and Randy Arozarena.
But if the Blue Jays miss out on outfield free agents, what would their pivot move be? It stands to reason that they’d either rely on Anthony Santander to remain healthy for the 2027 season, or make a trade. If Hernández is available, there may not be a better power-hitting outfielder out there who are available via trade.

Hernández’ stats

There’s a pretty fair argument that Hernández should have never been traded in the first place. He broke out in 2021 with the Blue Jays, slashing .296/.346/.524 with 32 home runs in 595 plate appearances, good for a 132 wRC+. He hit fewer home runs in 2022, but still had a decent season, slashing .267/.316/.491 with 25 home runs, with two more home runs in two postseason games.
But after that two home run game against the Seattle Mariners in the 2022 Wild Card Series, the Jays sent Hernández to the team that just beat them in exchange for Erik Swanson and Adam Macko. 
After a season with the Mariners, Hernández joined the Los Angeles Dodgers and immediately hit a career-best 33 home runs for a 132 wRC+. That year, he won his first World Series., which brings us to his past two seasons
Hernández continued to hit home runs in 2025, going deep for 25 long-balls, but his overall hitting declined drastically. Even though he won his second consecutive World Series, Hernández finished the regular season with a 102 wRC+ in 546 plate appearances, a career-worst mark with 150 or more plate appearances. It was also the first time that Hernández finished with an on-base percentage below .300, as he finish with a mark of just .284.
The 34-year-old bounced back in 2026, at least in terms of getting on base. However, he hit a career-low 16 home runs (minimum: 150 plate appearances) while finishing with a 27.5 K%. His wRC+ sat at just 110.
Then you have his defence. Hernández has never been a particularly good defender in the outfield, but his numbers the past two seasons show a decline. In 1,106 innings in right field in 2025, he posted 1 Defensive Runs Saved, but had -9 Outs Above Average and -9 Fielding Run Value.
Moving to left field for the 2026 season, Hernández finished with -6 DRS, -6 OAA, and -6 FRV in 966.1 innings. Assuming Barger is healthy, Hernández would mainly play in left field, where he has -14 DRS, -15 OAA, and -17 FRV in his last two seasons in left.
Already in his mid 30s, his defensive abilities are only going to decline, essentially making him a designated hitter. Unless the Jays can trade Santander, he projects to be the regular DH in 2027.

It just doesn’t make sense

So does trading for Hernández make sense? Honestly, probably not. While he was a fan-favourite in his time with the Blue Jays, and the clubhouse would certainly welcome him back, there are just better options out there.
Suzuki, Happ, and Arozarena all had more productive seasons, while Satō is younger and is projected to hit for power in the big leagues. Hernández also has a luxury tax hit of just under $20 million, a lot of money to spend on a player who is clearly on the decline, both with the bat and in the outfield.
Now, if the Blue Jays can somehow move off Santander’s contract and open up the DH spot, that may be a bit more interesting. Allowing Hernández to focus solely on hitting could see those power numbers return, but again, there may be better options out there.
Cynthia Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for Blue Jays Nation, DFOEdmonton, and DFOCalgary. She can be followed on Twitter @CynthiaRDelaney.
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