Blue Jays already looking at Teoscar Hernandez replacement

The Toronto Blue Jays traded outfielder Teoscar Hernandez on Wednesday, and they already have a replacement in mind.

The Toronto Blue Jays made a rather surprising move on Wednesday. All-Star outfielder Teoscar Hernandez was traded to the Seattle Mariners in exchange for relief pitcher Erik Swanson and left-handed pitching prospect Adam Macko. The move was shocking, considering Hernandez was one of their best hitters in the lineup.

Apparently, the Blue Jays have a replacement in mind.

According to MLB Network’s Jon Morosi, the Blue Jays are interested in New York Mets outfielder and free agent Brandon Nimmo.

Blue Jays reportedly interested in Mets outfielder Brandon Nimmo

The reason that Morosi gives for Toronto’s interest is due to his bat speed as a left-handed hitter. Their batting order was primarily right-handed this past season. Raimel Tapia was one of Toronto’s  left-handed hitters, but he was recently designated for assignment. So adding a hitter like Nimmo would benefit them.

Nimmo has been with the Mets organization ever since he was selected with the 13th overall pick in the 2011 MLB Draft. He made his major league debut back in 2016, and became one of their starting outfielders, primarily playing at center field.

This past season, Nimmo recorded a .274 batting average, a .367 on-base percentage, a .433 slugging percentage, 16 home runs, 64 RBI, 102 runs scored, and 159 hits in 151 games played. Nimmo led the league with seven triples.

With Hernandez set to hit free agency after the 2023 season, the Blue Jays opted to trade him to get a solid return. They managed to bring in a solid relief pitcher in Swanson, while bringing in a pitching prospect who ranks eighth in Toronto’s prospect pipeline following the trade, per MLB.com.

Now, they are reportedly interested in Nimmo. Considering he’s the top center fielder in free agency, the Blue Jays may have to enter a bidding war for him.