Former Toronto Blue Jays Slugger Makes Priorities Clear as Offseason Begins

Those hoping for a reunion with Teoscar Hernandez could be very disappointed.

Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Teoscar Hernandez (left) celebrates with fans during the Dodgers 2024 World Series Championship parade in downtown Los Angeles on Nov 1. / Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

The offseason is just days old but former Toronto Blue Jays slugger Teoscar Hernandez has already made his priorities known: He would like to return to the Los Angeles Dodgers as a free agent, where he just won his first-ever World Series title.

Per MLB.com:

“My hopes are really high,” Hernández said. “Like I’ve said before, the Dodgers are the priority, obviously. I’m going to do everything in my power to come back.”

“Hopefully tomorrow,” Hernández joked, when asked about his free-agent timeline and coming back to the Dodgers. “I want us to be here. I want us to be part of this. I have so many good memories here. I’ve learned a lot as a player, as a person. It feels great to be part of this.”

It's not surprising to see Hernandez want to return back to Los Angeles, especially as the emotions from the 2024 championship are still fresh. The Dodgers are positioned to win for years to come, so it makes sense from that end as well. Hernandez hit 33 homers this year in LA and drove in 99 runs, pairing with Shohei Ohtani, Freddie Freeman and Mookie Betts to make one of the best lineups in all of baseball.

That said, Hernandez's comments are disappointing for Jays fans who wanted to see the team make a run at him again in free agency.

Heading into the 2023 season, the Blue Jays traded away Hernandez to the Seattle Mariners. Hernandez was heading into the final year of his contract and the team wanted to save some money and clearly felt they could replace his production. They also dealt away Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and replaced them with Daulton Varsho and Kevin Kiermaier.

Hernandez made the playoffs with the Jays in 2020 and 2022. He made the All-Star Game with Toronto in 2021.

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