Latest Teoscar Hernandez update should have Ross Atkins packing up his office if he can't get it done

Coming into the offseason, the Toronto Blue Jays held a ton of promise. General manager Ross Atkins had made it clear he would be aggressive in pursuing the top names on the market. Unfortunately, as of now, these dreams of a competitive roster are slipping.

Both Juan Soto and Max Fried have been taken off the free agent market, and not by the Blue Jays. Meanwhile, Kyle Tucker and others are on the move limiting the trade market. To date, the Blue Jays have made two impact moves: swapping Spencer Horowitz for Andres Gimenez, and adding Yimi Garcia.

Earlier in the offseason they non-tendered Jordan Romano which may have been counterproductive. If the Blue Jays are going to succeed, Atkins will need to act fast; however, it may already be too late. News has surfaced that the pursuit for another one of their top targets is not going their way.

As options begin to dwindle, Atkins is in an intense race against the clock.

Teoscar Hernandez is leaning towards the Dodgers

After losing in the Juan Soto sweepstakes, the Blue Jays turned to one of their once faithful sluggers in Teoscar Hernandez. Hernandez had been a mainstay in the middle part on their lineup for five years. He is coming off a year when he slashed .272/.339/.501/.840 with 33 home runs. He just won his third Silver Slugger, his first Home Run Derby, his first World Series, and set a career high in home runs. As such, he is one of, if not, the top outfielder on the market after Soto’s signing.

But the chances of a Hernandez-Blue Jays reunion are beginning to spiral out of control. Hernandez has long held that the Dodgers are his preference and as it turns out, that has not changed. He listed the Dodgers as his preferred destination with Toronto in second. The Blue Jays have made an offer, but it apparently is not enough.

Noah Camras of Dodgers Nation had this to report:

“Hernández is currently in Florida working out with Blue Jays star Vladimir Guerrero Jr., and would welcome a return to Toronto. While the Dodgers maintain their status as the favorite, Hernández would consider joining Toronto if their offer was significantly better — or, say, had a fourth year. Since Hernández has a qualifying offer attached to him, though, any non-Dodgers team that signs him would lose a draft pick.”

As of now, the Dodgers and Hernandez are still far apart on a new contract. This gives Ross Atkins a little wiggle room. But if he can’t close the deal, his vision for the team might never come close to a reality. At this point, their outlook may depend on their pursuit of star hurler Corbin Burnes and what offense they can find on a shrinking market to put behind him.