SF Giants among six teams interested in Mariners OF Teoscar Hernández

The SF Giants are one of several teams that have had discussions with the Seattle Mariners about acquiring Teoscar Hernández, per a report by Jon Morosi.

The SF Giants have been linked to Seattle Mariners outfielder Teoscar Hernández, according to a report by MLB Network's Jon Morosi. If Seattle decides to deal away the former All-Star, Hernández could wind up being one of the biggest bats moved at the deadline. For that reason, competition for his services is fierce, and the Giants would have to outbid the Philadelphia Phillies and Toronto Blue Jays, among others.

Sources: Mariners OF Teoscar Hernández is drawing interest from at least a half-dozen teams, and a trade is increasingly likely before 6 pm ET tomorrow.

The Phillies, Blue Jays and Giants are among the clubs that have been involved. @MLBNetwork @SeattleSports @FAN590

— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) August 1, 2023

Hernández is a strong hitter, with a career .258/.315/.486 triple-slash line, good for an OPS 17% better than average over that span. He's best known for his power, hitting 32 home runs as recently as 2021, during his first and only All-Star campaign. He has also won the Silver Slugger award in an outfield role in both 2020 and 2021, when he racked up down-ballot MVP votes in both years. 

Hernández has struggled somewhat this year, posting below-average stats offensively. Though he has 16 home runs, he's hitting .238 with a league-leading 141 strikeouts. His 94 OPS+ is 11 points lower than his previous low for any full season, though he has averaged a 135 OPS the three seasons prior. And while Hernández isn't known for his defense, he's graded out positively in defensive metrics this year, adding plus route-running to plus speed and a plus arm out of right field. If he returns to form offensively in the second half, Hernández could be a crucial part of a deep playoff run.

Does this trade make sense?

From San Francisco's perspective, acquiring Hernández would be a massive boost to a struggling offense. The Giants have posted a .639 team OPS in July, easily the worst in the majors. Part of those struggles have involved a power drought, as the Giants have hit just 22 home runs in the month. Even with the inflated strikeout numbers, Hernández would fit in nicely in the top half of the Giants' lineup.

The issue for San Francisco is the positional fit, as Mike Yastrzemski and Michael Conforto are both firmly entrenched in the outfield. Yastrzemski has been more than capable of filling center field platoon with Austin Slater, but with Luis Matos and Blake Sabol taking at-bats in the outfield as well, adding Hernández would make the outfield a bit crowded without making additional moves to accommodate him. Given the likely cost of acquiring Hernández, and arguably more pressing needs in the middle infield and rotation, the Giants may not see pushing for Hernández as necessary.

From the other side, it wouldn't be a surprise if Seattle decided to offload players at the deadline. The Mariners currently sit at 54-51, four and a half games out of the Wild Card, and five and a half games out of first place in the AL West. In their division, they lead only the A's, arguably the worst team in the last hundred years. They've already begun to close the deal on trades ahead of the deadline, offloading reliever Paul Sewald to the Diamondbacks.

Even if they don't decide to fully sell, Mariners general manager Jerry Dipoto has been known to trade away good players in years when they still plan to compete. As recently as 2021, Seattle traded closer Kendall Graveman to the Astros, despite a 56-49 record and being just 2.5 games back in the wild-card race. Given Hernández' credentials and the lack of supply relative to demand across the league, it wouldn't be a surprise to see Hernández end the year with another squad, especially since he's slated for free agency after the season ends. Given the interest across the league, a trade currently seems more a matter of when than if.