No one looks worse than Blue Jays GM Ross Atkins thanks to Teoscar Hernandez in Game 3

The Toronto Blue Jays finished the 2024 season much worse than they would have wanted to. Rather than having a solid core together that can win, Toronto ended up selling at the trade deadline. But this isn't the norm in Toronto, nor should it be.

This team is ready to win and they're ready to win now. It's the team's GM Ross Atkins that has continuously held them back every step of the way. This couldn't be more obvious than when Atkins cheaped out and decided to trade away star outfielder Teoscar Hernandez rather than re-signing him when his contract expired. All Hernandez has done since then is make the Blue Jays regret ever moving him.

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Teoscar Hernandez continues to haunt Blue Jays for trading him, this time with postseason home run

In 2022, the Blue Jays traded Hernandez to the Seattle Mariners in exchange for right handed reliever Erik Swanson and left handed pitching prospect, Adam Macko.

Swanson had a good 2023, but a horrible 2024 where he posted a FIP over 6.00. He's set to enter his final year of arbitration this offseason. The jury is still out on Macko, as he has yet to debut in the big leagues. He's a promising prospect that finds himself in Toronto's top ten prospects, according to MLB Pipeline.

As for Hernandez, he was good last year, but he really made the Blue Jays regret their decision this season with the Los Angeles Dodgers. He posted a career high 33 home runs while slashing .272/.339/.501 on the year. Hernandez has been a huge piece of the Dodgers' offensive puzzle this season.

To cap things off, he smashed a grand slam in the Dodgers' Game 3 loss to the Padres. Though it didn't result in a win, there's not much more Hernandez could have done. He saw one of the best arms that San Diego has, and he promptly deposited the 1-2 sweeper over the center field wall.

The Blue Jays could have used a bat like his this year. They were one or two solid bats away from being competitive enough to buy at the trade deadline. But that's the business side of baseball. You can only really blame Ross Atkins for this outcome.

Hernandez is a free agent this offseason, though.