The Latest Breaking News from Teoscar Hernandez

PEORIA, Ariz. — I must admit, the task of writing a Mariners column for our season preview section is a little trickier this year.

SEATTLE — In light of the horrific Edwin Diaz injury, you can be sure that the Mariners won't breathe easy until all of their players in the World Baseball Classic are returned safely with their health intact.

PEORIA, Ariz. — It was the top of the lineup that caused Juan Soto to "wish good luck" to opposing pitchers on his first day with the Padres last season.

Teoscar Hernandez said that as the playoff pairings were being determined down the stretch of the MLB season last year, he heard talk among his team — the Blue Jays at the time — that they preferred to face the Mariners.

SEATTLE — Burned by injuries the last time the World Baseball Classic was played, the Mariners were understandably reluctant to let their staff ace pitch in the event this year.

SEATTLE — “A nickel ain’t worth a dime anymore.”

SEATTLE — Way back in 1990, San Francisco Giants general manager Al Rosen raged that MLB was headed for "Armageddon" based on the outrageous free-agent contracts being handed out. What really piqued Rosen's ire was the four-year, $10 million contract given to middling left-handed pitcher Bud Black (given to him…

The late Roland Hemond, a legendary and longtime general manager, used to say the trades that worried him the most were the ones in which he was lavished with immediate praise for having made a one-sided deal.

TORONTO — The waiting is the hardest part.

TORONTO — Manager Kevin Cash has been harping for the last few days about the need for the Rays to score earlier in games to put pressure on the opposing team.

PITTSBURGH — At a certain point in a season like Pirates' 2022 campaign, the losses tend to run together. Even so, the conditions that produced the Pirates' 4-3 loss Sunday to the Toronto Blue Jays were eerily similar to the previous night's.