I think this borders on the "hot take" side of things, and it definitely plays into the recency bias, but the Mariners NEED to bring Teoscar Hernandez back next season.
Yeah, he struggled to start the year and has been streaky. We've seen the fun side of that streakiness lately, as Teoscar has now reached base in 30 straight starts. The only one he missed in that time was way back on August 14th when he came in late to pinch-hit. He currently has a 26-game on base streak, which is really impressive for a guy who rarely walks. He has 6 over that time with two hit by pitches
Over that time frame, he is hitting .377/.410/.679, and has been a huge part of the Mariners second-half success. Let's go back a bit more though... all the way to May 3rd. We toss out the first 29 games in which Teo hit .202/.240/.412. Since then, he has hit .284/.331/.472 across 113 games, hitting 18 HR and 25 2Bs.
That's really good. Teo is gonna get close to a 3.0 WAR season, and it falls in line with what he did those last few years in Toronto. His defense is still below average, but it looks better than in years past.
Yes, there are plenty of things that we could look for to upgrade out there. A better defender, less strikeouts, someone more consistent. You know what I am worried about though? The Mariners letting him walk after giving him the QO, and getting a draft pick in the process. Yes, that's awesome, and it builds for the future. With how the Mariners have spend in FA, I worry that it ends there, and we enter 2024 with someone more akin to Cade Marlowe (who I like but isn't the answer) instead of a multi-WAR player.
3YR/$60M? Something along those lines? The Nic C deal, but a shorter length. Who knows it Teo would sign it, and who knows if the Mariners would even entertain offering it. Teo has been good, and a big part of the team's success this year. We can't afford to leave and lose one of our most impactful offensive weapons on a team that already needs more of them. That's why I think the Mariners NEED to bring him back in 2024.