This past offseason, the Toronto Blue Jays traded promising prospects, Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and Gabriel Moreno to the Diamondbacks for Daulton Varsho. The trade made sense for the Jays. The Blue Jays already had Alejandro Kirk and they traded away Teoscar Hernandez thus needing another outfielder. Varsho would also boost the Jays defensively and he had a solid offensive season putting up an OPS of .745. Varsho seemed to be on the verge of having a breakout season. While Moreno and Gurriel Jr. have thrived in Arizona, Varsho has regressed offensively in Toronto. I think the Blue Jays are going to regret making this trade.
Cost Cutting Trade And Filling Other Needs
Prior to the 2023 season, then-Jays outfielder Teoscar Hernandez had just signed a one-year deal avoiding arbitration. However, he was now a season away from becoming a free agent. Given how the Blue Jays operate, they wanted to save money to eventually extend the contracts of core players. Toronto also needed to improve their mediocre bullpen. The Jays then traded Hernandez to the Seattle Mariners for reliever Erik Swanson and minor leaguer Adam Macko.
Trading For Daulton Varsho
Later in the offseason, the Blue Jays would then trade catcher Gabriel Moreno and outfielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr. to the Arizona Diamondbacks for outfielder Daulton Varsho. The Blue Jays already had Alejandro Kirk who was just coming off an all-star year making Montero expendable. Gurriel Jr. had spent the first five seasons of his career with the big club.
The Diamondbacks Turned The Tables
On paper, it looked as if the Blue Jays had fleeced the Diamondbacks. Toronto appeared to be getting a great defensive outfielder on the verge of having a breakout year offensively. Meanwhile, Arizona appeared to be getting a young talented catcher. However, they were getting an outfielder who saw his home run total drop from 21 the year before to just five. However, the early winner of this trade so far is the Arizona Diamondbacks.
The Success of Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and Gabriel Moreno
Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and Gabriel Moreno have been thriving in Arizona. While Moreno only has an OPS of .689 with two home runs with 21 RBI, he’s been stellar defensively. Moreno has thrown out 62% of base stealers. It should be worth noting that Kirk seems to have regressed from his big season last year. Gurriel Jr. has been having a very nice bounce-back season. He’s put up an OPS of .905 with nine home runs and 35 RBI. He seems to be rediscovering his power stroke with the Diamondbacks. Gurriel and Moreno’s contributions have helped the Diamondbacks compete with the Dodgers in the NL West this season.
Daulton Varsho’s Struggles At The Plate
While Daulton Varsho has been terrific as advertised defensively, offensively he has struggled. So far in 2023, Varsho has only put up an OPS of .657 with nine home runs and 29 RBI. A season ago, Varsho had an OPS of .745 with 27 home runs and 74 RBI. While Toronto’s offense is still good despite Varsho’s struggles, it’s hard to wonder how much more potent it would be with Gurriel’s resurgence.
How The Trade Potentially Altered Each Teams Seasons
Currently, Arizona is battling the Los Angeles Dodgers for first place in the NL West. Meanwhile, the Blue Jays are out of the playoff picture and sit in fourth place in the AL East. While both teams can’t pin their success and struggles on just those players, it’s worth noting how things have changed for those franchises.
Toronto May Want This One Back
Clearly, things have turned around very nicely for the Arizona Diamondbacks since making this deal. Gurriel and Moreno are big contributors to their rebound season. While Varsho can’t be blamed for everything that has gone wrong for Toronto, it makes one wonder if the Blue Jays were better off with Gurriel. I believe had the Blue Jays been more patient with Lourdes Gurriel Jr. then maybe things would be different this season. With how successful Gurriel and Moreno have been and how much Daulton Varsho struggling offensively, the Blue Jays may want this deal back.
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1 Comment
WITH RESPECT TO VARSHO, IT SEEMS TOO EARLY TO TELL AS MOST TRADES NEED TO BE LOOKED AT AFTER ONE OR TWO SEASONS – HE HAS MADE SOME GOOD PLAYS IN THE FIELD TO BE CERTAIN – HIS HR / RBI TOTAL IS A DECENT NUMBER AT THIS POINT – LET’S NOT GET TOO EXCITED YET.