The Seattle Mariners made a big splash this offseason when they traded for outfielder Teoscar Hernandez from the Toronto Blue Jays, and Mariners General Manager Justin Hollander is excited to see the impact he has on the lineup in 2023.
“With Teo, what you're looking at is a true middle-of-the-order bat… a true damage-doer,” Hollander said via The Athletic. “And while you solely don't want to live and die with the homer, hitting a homer is good and he does a lot of that. We think the addition of Teo really, really helps balance out the group that we ended the year with last season.”
Hollander is not the only member of the organization who is happy that Hernandez is on their side now.
“I'm excited we don't have to pitch to him anymore,” Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh said, via The Athletic.
Hernandez hit two home runs against Cal Raleigh's Mariners in game two of the American League Wild Card series in 2022, a game in which the Mariners came back from an 8-1 deficit to win 10-9 to advance to the American League Division Series.
Hernandez will slot into right field for the Mariners, and should be a key bat for the team in 2023. He hit .267 with a .316 on-base percentage and .807 OPS with 25 home runs in 131 games last season.
The question is whether Hernandez will remain with the Mariners past 2023, as he will be a free agent after the season. The team has extended key players in J.P. Crawford, Julio Rodriguez and Luis Castillo within the last year, so it would not be unprecedented to see the team lock in Hernandez long-term.
Regardless, the Mariners expect Hernandez to play a significant role in the team's success this season.
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