Sixteen home runs rarely start a trade conversation. Yet Teoscar Hernandez, the Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder, is drawing interest after a .267, 64-RBI season over 125 games. The Toronto Blue Jays, who stumbled to a 79-83 finish and last place in the American League East, badly need that kind of thump. That need has already produced a rumor.
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Dodgers Nation carried the report. In a post on X, the outlet wrote:
“The Toronto Blue Jays are interested in trading for Teoscar Hernández, according to multiple reports. Teo has suited up for the Blue Jays in the past and admitted he thought about signing with them in 2024 before re-signing with the Dodgers.”
The interest carries weight because Hernández, a veteran slugger, hit .263 with an .823 OPS, 584 hits, 129 home runs and 369 RBI over 609 games in Toronto. A 2027 walk year on his $66 million contract also makes him a natural trade chip, and the Dodgers have their own reasons to listen.
“When you look at the Dodgers team, I think they want to get a little bit younger, a little bit more athletic. And I think a couple of positions that could happen are left field and second base,” former MLB general manager turned analyst Jim Bowden said on his GM Territory podcast.
“And remember, they have several outfield prospects ready to go. So possibly trading Hernandez makes sense. And the rumors that I keep hearing are that the Toronto Blue Jays have interest in reuniting with Teoscar Hernandez, who was a fan favorite when he was in Toronto.”
Bowden’s read matches the roster reality in Chavez Ravine.
Los Angeles carried one of baseball’s oldest position-player groups for consecutive seasons, and the Milwaukee Brewers swept them in the 2026 NLCS. Josue De Paula, a 21-year-old top prospect, cracked the postseason roster after a September debut. Hernandez, meanwhile, enters the final year of his deal, which gives Andrew Friedman, the Dodgers’ president of baseball operations, an obvious chip to move.
That youth movement explains the Los Angeles side of any deal. The Toronto side is where Hernández’s own words matter.
Teoscar Hernández came close to rejoining the Blue Jays in free agency
The Dodgers may be ready to move on, but Hernández hit the open market after the 2023 and 2024 seasons, and the Blue Jays explored a return each time. His account shows how far the talks went.
“We actually came really close to a reunion so I can come back to Toronto,” Hernández said while speaking with Sportsnet reporter Shi Davidi in August 2025.
“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.”
The talks make sense because Toronto knows the player, who earned a 2021 All-Star nod with 32 home runs and 116 RBI before the Seattle Mariners acquired him for pitchers Erik Swanson and Adam Macko.
Now, the Blue Jays need outfield help, and hitting Hernández in left field would let outfielder Nathan Lukes slide to center.