Early in the offseason, the Seattle Mariners swung a deal that may change their 2023 outlook for the better.
Their offense was deemed as “light” by some, but they added powerful outfielder Teoscar Hernandez to the mix to try and change things.
They surrendered a top reliever in Erik Swanson, but added a crucial middle-of-the-order performer with experience and a nice form in the last few years.
With Hernandez, young star Julio Rodriguez will get some more help producing runs for the M’s.
Speaking of Rodriguez, the reigning AL Rookie of the Year posted a video training with Hernandez.
Not only is it good to see them hitting the cage this early in the year, but the fact they are training together represents great news for team chemistry purposes.
Julio Rodríguez & Teóscar Hernández. @Mariners pic.twitter.com/w61nDWhznT
— Héctor Gómez (@hgomez27) January 24, 2023
Both seem very happy and all smiles.
Baseball season is almost back, and nobody can hide their happiness about it!
All kidding aside, both J-Rod and Hernandez hail from the Dominican Republic.
It certainly helps when integrating a new piece to the puzzle that Hernandez is from the same place as the star of the team.
No matter where they are from, both are extremely productive power hitters.
J-Rod hit 28 home runs and stole 25 bases in his debut season.
Hernandez, meanwhile, has hit 121 round-trippers since 2018, including three 25+ homer seasons and 16 over the 60-game sample that was the 2020 campaign.
He will be a free agent after the World Series, but is a nice gamble by the Mariners, who have been known for extending players recently.
Perhaps Hernandez has a place in the future of the franchise.
NEXT: Mariners Take A Chance On A Veteran Infielder