3 former Mariners we'll be glad are gone in 2024 and 2 we'll wish stayed

Mariners player fans will be thrilled to see gone: Teoscar Hernandez

The prize of the 2022-23 offseason, Teo, seemed to be the big bat the Mariners needed to pair with the young guns and veterans alike. He was coming off a couple of really good seasons with the Blue Jays and his right-handed power swing seemed to fit in well, in the middle of the Mariners lineup. 

Teo struggled pretty badly in 2023, striking out more than 31% of the time. He also slugged just .435, a poor number for a corner outfielder who was widely considered a “slugger”. He was still a slightly above average bat (105 wRC+) on the year but there were a lot of underlying issues. 

Perhaps the most frustrating part for Mariners fans was the up and down nature of Teo’s offensive season. In June and August, he was one of the best bats in baseball with a 160 and 191 wRC+ respectively. The rest of the season was extremely disappointing as his highest wRC+ was in March/April, posting an 84 wRC+. He was one of the worst bats in baseball in July, with a 46 wRC+ and a .286 slugging percentage. This is just too much variance for a player expected to provide his level of production. 

The debate this offseason was whether or not the Mariners would extend the qualifying offer. Though he signed a one-year $23.5M deal with the Dodgers, his 2024 salary is $15M because of deferred money. Even with that being slightly less than the qualifying offer, for the Mariners that price for his inconsistent production just wasn’t worth it. He will probably hit well for the Dodgers, because let’s face it, it seems like everyone does. The Mariners will be glad to fill his spot with other options in 2024, however.