Teoscar Hernández's scathing comments reveal Mariners clubhouse flaw

Mariners fans would no doubt love to have Teoscar Hernández back in Seattle next season. After watching their team put forth a pathetic showing in the batters' box during the 2024 season, the Seattle Mariners need a bat like Hernández's heading into 2025 or it'll be the same song and dance all over again.

But it's doubtful that Hernandez will be looking for a return to the Emerald City next year. Hernández, who'll be a free agent again this offseason after signing a one-year deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers last winter, revealed some rather scathing details about the 2023 Mariners' team that missed the postseason by just one game.

Teoscar Hernández's scathing comments reveal Mariners clubhouse flaw

Mariners' fans will remember the 2022 campaign fondly. Seattle had, at long last, returned to the playoffs, and the energy from Julio Rodriguez, Cal Raleigh, and Eugenio Suárez was infectious. Seattle swept the Toronto Blue Jays in the AL Wild Card round, but fell to the Houston Astros in three games during the ALDS.

But the groundwork had been laid, and the 2023 season was supposed to be Seattle's for the taking. The Mariners were picked by many to win the division, and even had a few pundits talking about a World Series run. Unfortunately, the Mariners came back to earth, and, though they won 88 games, missed out on the postseason entirely.

In a recent interview with Alden Gonzalez of ESPN, Hernández spoke about his lone season in Seattle. The Mariners had traded for Hernández during the 2022-23 offseason, and after posting an .807 OPS with the Toronto Blue Jays the year before, the slugger was supposed to join the party in Seatown and help push Seattle to new heights.

But that didn't happen. Hernández struggled during the first few months, and the team as a whole played at or below .500 until the All-Star break. The Mariners got hot the final few months, but ran out of steam down the stretch, going 4-6 over their final 10 games.

During his interview with ESPN, Hernández revealed an interesting assertion about that failed Mariners team. "It was a really good, really talented team," Hernández said. "But we were missing something. And I think it was playing as one group, not individuals."

If that doesn't speak to the stark drop off from 2022 to 2023, nothing will. The team fell apart during the early-part of the 2023 season, and though they rallied, it was too little too late. Mariners fans are hopeful that the team will all be on the same page heading into 2025. Perhaps dismissing Scott Servais will help to galvanize this group heading into next season.

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