Teoscar Hernandez says Toronto Blue Jays were 'really close' to bringing him back
As the Toronto Blue Jays are in the midst of their most successful season in recent memory, it’s caused one common fan occurrence to take a bit of a step back this season.
For many years, the Jays were a team full of “what-ifs” and hypotheticals, with Toronto still searching for its first playoff win since 2016.
Teoscar Hernandez, who spent six seasons with the Jays from 2017 through 2022 before being shipped off to the Seattle Mariners, was the key focus of many of those discussions after he left town.
Now playing for the Los Angeles Dodgers, with whom he won the World Series last year while making his second All-Star Game, Hernandez has remained a fan favourite even while on other teams.
According to quotes given to Sportsnet’s Shi Davidi, the Blue Jays and Hernandez were exploring a possible return in free agency, as he hit the market both after the 2023 and 2024 seasons.
“We actually came really close to a reunion so I can come back to Toronto,” Hernandez said. “They were trying to do a couple of things, I’m not going to say what, but they were trying to do a couple things first. And they said if this worked out, we can get together, we can sit down and talk about a contract. So, yes, it was really close.”
Hernandez admitted that he’s still watching plenty of Blue Jays games three years on from the trade, and hopes that the teams might meet in the World Series, thought that’s much easier said than done.
And though a long-term deal didn’t work out with himself and the Blue Jays, Hernandez said that he offered advice to Vladimir Guerrero Jr. prior to his long-term extension with Toronto.
“If you feel good over there, you have your whole life there, your family, you have everything in that city and that country, so try to make it work,” Hernandez told Guerrero, as relayed by Davidi.
While Hernandez might never play for the Jays again, it’s clear a part of his heart remains with the franchise.
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