Daulton Varsho

The Toronto Blue Jays have acquired outfielder Daulton Varsho from the Arizona Diamondbacks, according to Jeff Passan of ESPN.

[according to Jon Heyman](https://twitter.com/JonHeyman/status/1606394598514987008?s=20&t=i669wPu3fFyjxi6bjRuSeA) of the New York Post. ($5.6M). He was originally drafted in the second round of the 2017 MLB June Amateur Draft out of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. He hit .291 in 2022, but hit only five home runs in 121 games. He’s got a career .234 batting average over parts of three seasons with the Diamondbacks. BREAKING: The Toronto Blue Jays and Arizona Diamondbacks are in agreement on a trade that will send outfielder Daulton Varsho to the Blue Jays for a package that includes top catching prospect Gabriel Moreno, sources tell ESPN.

The Arizona Diamondbacks could be getting close to trading one of their young outfielders, according to sources.

However, Kelly figures to have value on the trade market and could be used as currency to plug other holes on the roster. Moreno gives the Diamondbacks a young, offensive-minded catcher who also is well-regarded behind the plate. The club could carry both, of course, allowing them to ease Moreno into a bigger role. It added, "His natural hitting gifts and plus defense behind the plate make him a potential all-star even with questions about his power." He also was a Gold Glove finalist. He is set to make $5.8 million next season and will be arbitration eligible again in 2024 before potentially hitting free agency.

The Toronto Blue Jays further improved their outfield defense Friday, trading outfielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and catcher Gabriel Moreno to the Arizona ...

8) CF Kevin Kiermaier .228/.281/.649 9) RF Daulton Varsho .235/.302/.745 7) DH Santiago Espinal .267/.322/.692 5) 2B Whit Merrifield .281/.323/.769 6) 3B Matt Chapman .229/.324/.757 4) C Alejandro Kirk .285/.372/.787 The club also acquired defensive wiz Kevin Kiermaier earlier this month. [@JackVitaShow,](http://twitter.com/jackvitashow) and subscribe to his podcast, the [Jack Vita Show](http://jackvita.com/), available on [Apple Podcasts](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/jack-vita-show/id1366064261), [Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/show/5bfwYRxkua8fl8Cyp5Ju7i?si=bU85dgJdR7KKuC4kdUwoIw&nd=1), [YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/jackvita), [Amazon](https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/f29527c0-7534-4401-9891-8d0e7d09363a/jack-vita-show), [iHeartRadio](https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-jack-vita-show-74691662/), and wherever podcasts are found. 1) LF George Springer .267/.342/.814 2) SS Bo Bichette .290/.333/.802 .274/.339/.819 3) 1B Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

Blue Jays Acquire Daulton Varsho From D-Backs For Gabriel Moreno, Lourdes Gurriel Jr. December 23rd, 2022 at 3:35pm CST • By Darragh McDonald. The Blue Jays are ...

[Bob Nightengale of USA Today](https://twitter.com/BNightengale/status/1606393797138518016) first had the involvement of Gurriel. [Jon Heyman of The New York Post](https://twitter.com/JonHeyman/status/1606392100043595790) first reported that the Jays were close to landing Varsho. [Jeff Passan of ESPN](https://twitter.com/JeffPassan/status/1606392677305655331) first reported a deal was in place that involved Varsho and Moreno. Varsho and Kiermaier should slot into an outfield mix that also includes [George Springer](https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/s/springe01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&utm_source=www.mlbtraderumors.com&utm_campaign=2022-12-23_br) and [Whit Merrifield](https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/m/merriwh01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&utm_source=www.mlbtraderumors.com&utm_campaign=2022-12-23_br). Spending most of the year in Triple-A, he hit .315/.386/.420 for a wRC+ of 120. [this year’s cutoff](https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2022/11/super-two-status-set-at-2-128-years-of-service.html). His 2019 and 2021 seasons were both above average at the plate, as he hit double-digit home runs and walk rates, leading to a wRC+ of 107 in the former and 103 in the latter. [Daulton Varsho](https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/v/varshda01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&utm_source=www.mlbtraderumors.com&utm_campaign=2022-12-23_br) from the Diamondbacks. [Baseball America](https://www.baseballamerica.com/rankings/2022-top-100-prospects/) and [FanGraphs](https://www.fangraphs.com/prospects/the-board/2022-in-season-prospect-list/summary?sort=-1,1). [rumored](https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2022/11/blue-jays-expected-to-trade-from-catching-surplus.html) all offseason to be willing to deal from their catching surplus in order to address other areas of their roster. [Teoscar Hernández](https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/h/hernate01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&utm_source=www.mlbtraderumors.com&utm_campaign=2022-12-23_br) being swapped out for lefties Kiermaier and Varsho. He was given a +19 from Defensive Runs Saved in the outfield this year, along with an 18.8 from Ultimate Zone Rating and 17 Outs Above Average.

Les Blue Jays avaient besoin d'ajouter un voltigeur gaucher.

Les Jays sont allés chercher des années de contrôle (quatre), un excellent bâton gaucher (74 points produits et un OPS+ au-dessus de la moyenne), un bon voltigeur défensif et un gars qui peut dépanner comme receveur. Teoscar avait quitté notamment parce qu’il était à un an de l’autonomie et qu’il n’y avait pas de négociations pour le garder à Toronto. C’est vraiment un excellent retour pour Varsho, et ce, même si je me demande si Junior est là pour rester. Est-ce la même situation pour Gurriel Jr.? [Daulton Varsho échangé à Toronto contre Gabriel Moreno et Lourdes Gurriel Jr.](https://www.passionmlb.com/daulton-varsho-echange-a-toronto-contre-gabriel-moreno/) [Giants : Farhan Zaidi prend le blâme pour l’échec dans le dossier Carlos Correa](https://www.passionmlb.com/giants-farhan-zaidi-prend-le-blame-pour-lechec-dans-le-dossier-carlos-correa/) [Certains propriétaires s’inquiètent des grosses dépenses de Steve Cohen](https://www.passionmlb.com/certains-proprietaires-sinquietent-des-grosses-depenses-de-steve-cohen/) [Taylor Rogers rejoint son frère jumeau à San Francisco](https://www.passionmlb.com/taylor-rogers-rejoint-son-frere-jumeau-a-san-francisco/) [Michael Conforto signe un contrat de deux ans avec les Giants](https://www.passionmlb.com/michael-conforto-signe-un-contrat-de-deux-ans-avec-les-giants/) Varsho et Kevin Kiermaier sont débarqués.

TORONTO -- The Blue Jays did some last-minute Christmas shopping Friday, agreeing to a deal to acquire outfielder Daulton Varsho from the D-backs for ...

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Les Blue Jays de Toronto ont fait l'acquisition vendredi du polyvalent Daulton Varsho, qui a joué comme receveur et voltigeur ces dernières années avec les ...

En Arizona, il a terminé derrière Christian Walker pour le nombre de coups sûrs, avec 125. Âgé de 26 ans, Varsho a débuté son parcours au baseball majeur en 2020. La formation torontoise en a fait l’annonce sur les réseaux sociaux.

It took dealing a top prospect and a starting outfielder to get it, but the Blue Jays finally have a proven left-handed bat to balance out their offensive ...

Coveted for his athleticism, the 22-year-old made 25 appearances in 2022, recording 55 hits. Signing starter Chris Bassitt to a three-year, $63-million US deal slides into that category as well. According to Baseball Reference, he record a plus-18 in defensive runs saved. He was limited to just 121 games in 2022, 20 fewer than the previous season, sidelined with a variety of injuries. Hernandez had some parallels to Gurriel, of course, in that he lacked consistency in the field, was also headed for free agency and was a key personality in the Jays fun-loving “barrio.” A second-round pick by Arizona in 2017, Varsho is under team control until 2028, instantly making him a critical component of that win-now core Atkins has been complementing.

Le voltigeur Lourdes Gurriel fils et le receveur Gabriel Moreno prennent la direction de l'Arizona.

Le jeune receveur de 22 ans était l'espoir no 1 des Jays selon le site MLB.com. Âgé de 26 ans, Varsho a claqué 27 circuits et a produit 74 points la saison dernière, des sommets personnels en trois saisons dans le baseball majeur. Il a établi un sommet personnel avec 32 doubles.

Gabriel Moreno and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. are going to Arizona in the deal.

Toronto still has [Danny Jansen](/mlb/players/2216808/danny-jansen/) and [Alejandro Kirk](/mlb/players/2875260/alejandro-kirk/) to trot out behind the plate, as well as [George Springer](/mlb/players/1894629/george-springer/) in right field. In 25 games with the big-league team, he batted .319/.356/.377 (111 OPS+) with a home run. Since 2020, he's amassed a .288/.334/.452 slash line (116 OPS+) with 37 home runs. The Blue Jays created an opening in left earlier this winter when they traded Teoscar Hernández to the [Seattle Mariners](https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/teams/SEA/seattle-mariners/). [Kevin Kiermaier](/mlb/players/1812666/kevin-kiermaier/) to be their starting center fielder. In more than 1,000 career plate appearances, he's batted .234/.306/.432 (103 OPS+) while averaging 23 home runs and 14 steals.

The main piece going back is catcher Gabriel Moreno. Furthermore, Lourdes Gurriel Jr will be heading to Arizona as well. My immediate reaction to this trade ...

His framing could improve a bit as well, granted he had solid numbers in his brief time with the Jays. The main piece heading back the other way, Moreno is a super athletic catcher with a fantastic hit tool. He had a 3 DRS and -2 OAA in 2022. Moreover, they used their surplus of catchers to improve a position of need. In 2022, that number dropped to four in 329 plate appearances. It’s notable that since Moreno had been hit in the hand in 2021, which essentially ended that season, he didn’t hit for much power. The home run total dropped significantly from 2021 when he had 21, but he apparently dealt with a wrist injury all season. In 2021, he had a career-worst -8 OAA, so Varsho is a significant upgrade, even if Gurriel Jr. had a better bat in 2022. He also had a 7.8 BB% and 24.5 K%. This doesn’t even mention the fact that Varsho also plays catcher. Last season, the outfield defense was an issue defensively.

Varsho, 26, has batted .234/.306/.432 through three seasons in Arizona. He plays both catcher and outfielder and hit 27 home runs last season. Gurriel Jr. hit .

At 26 years old, Varsho comes with four years of team control, which helps to offset the cost of dealing Moreno. Gurriel, meanwhile, will be a free agent at the end of the 2023 season. 1 prospect to Arizona along with Gurriel, a solid contact hitter who has been part a significant part of the core that turned the team from a rebuilder to a contender. With most of the top free-agent left-handed outfielders having signed, the Blue Jays turned to the trade market to add the controllable left-handed outfielder the front office was seeking in the form of Varsho. The simple answer is the Blue Jays had a surplus of catchers and needed a left-handed outfielder. The Diamondbacks had a surplus of left-handed outfielders and could use a young catcher. He’s an elite outfielder, who finished with 18 Outs Above Average, per Statcast, to lead all MLB outfielders last season. There are a few attributes that make Varsho a good fit in Toronto. Last season, Varsho hit a career-high 27 home runs with a 106 wRC+. He’s an above-average defender, handling short hops well and showing great facility to move the glove around, but could easily slide to other positions if the need arose, especially third base. Moreno is an incredibly athletic catcher, moving extremely well behind the plate, and has an above-average arm. At the plate, Moreno has a short, quick stroke that leads to a lot of contact.

Les Blue Jays de Toronto ont acquis le voltigeur Daulton Varsho des Diamondbacks de l'Arizona en retour du voltigeur Lourdes Gurriel fils et du receveur ...

Moreno est possiblement la pièce maîtresse de la transaction pour les Diamondbacks. Les Jays ont expédié Teoscar Hernandez aux Mariners de Seattle le mois dernier en retour du releveur Erik Swanson. Varsho ajoutera un frappeur de puissance gaucher à la formation des Jays.

Les Blue Jays de Toronto ont fait l'acquisition vendredi du polyvalent Daulton Varsho.

En Arizona, il a terminé derrière Christian Walker pour le nombre de coups sûrs, avec 125. Âgé de 26 ans, Varsho a débuté son parcours au baseball majeur en 2020. La formation torontoise en a fait l’annonce sur les réseaux sociaux.

Blue Jays make win-now move, getting Daulton Varsho for Gabriel Moreno, Lourdes Gurriel Jr. Sep 14, 2022; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks ...

Even with Moreno off their depth chart, the Blue Jays project to have the majors’ best catching tandem — with Varsho as a third — with a 5.9 fWAR, according to FanGraphs Depth Charts. 1 prospect, along with left fielder and another fan favourite, [Lourdes Gurriel Jr.](https://theathletic.com/mlb/player/lourdes-gurriel-jr-HpQ3Xn0cT2CxuO6o/), to the [Arizona Diamondbacks](https://theathletic.com/mlb/team/diamondbacks/) for left-handed outfielder [Daulton Varsho](https://theathletic.com/mlb/player/daulton-varsho-2fsvbXPktR2pqQBe/). But in trading for Varsho, the Blue Jays have landed the lefty power bat they need while cashing in their best trade chip. Steamer’s fWAR projections suggest the Blue Jays have effectively replaced Hernández and Gurriel (3.6 fWAR) with Kiermaier and Varsho (4.2 fWAR). Cavan Biggio and [Whit Merrifield](https://theathletic.com/mlb/player/whit-merrifield-m9FuQjbNpFncQc8x/) can cover the outfield, too. [George Springer](https://theathletic.com/mlb/player/george-springer-gUFYtxyqWevxYDkB/) to spend more time playing right field. With this deal, the Blue Jays have paid the hefty cost for a win-now move that fills a desperate need. Varsho can provide that for at least the next four seasons; he’s scheduled to become a free agent after the 2026 season. But according to a person familiar with the negotiations, he had to be included to get the deal across the finish line. Gurriel has been with the Blue Jays since he signed as an amateur free agent in 2016, and he developed into a solid contact hitter while converting from an infielder to an outfielder. [Gabriel Moreno](https://theathletic.com/mlb/player/gabriel-moreno-UCyQIEw04AI7U52F/), their 22-year-old catcher and No. The Blue Jays traded

Varsho peut jouer au champ extérieur et au poste de receveur. Frappeur gaucher, il a conservé une moyenne de ,235 avec 27 circuits 74 points produits l'an ...

[Alejandro Kirk](https://www.rds.ca/baseball/mlb/joueur/alejandro-kirk?player_id=374255) et le vétéran [Danny Jansen](https://www.rds.ca/baseball/mlb/joueur/danny-jansen?player_id=121162) derrière le marbre. Quant à Moreno, il est vu comme un joueur d'avenir à la position de receveur au baseball majeur. Ils connaissent une saison morte occupée, alors qu'ils tentent de changer quelques pièces après avoir été éliminés dès la ronde du quatrième as. Varsho a disputé 151 matchs au cours de la saison 2022, faisant 114 apparitions au champ extérieur et 31 derrière le marbre. [Lourdes Gurriel fils](https://www.rds.ca/baseball/mlb/joueur/lourdes-gurriel-jr?player_id=190220) est aussi impliqué dans la transaction. Frappeur gaucher, il a conservé une moyenne de ,235 avec 27 circuits 74 points produits l'an dernier.

The Toronto Blue Jays acquired slugger Daulton Varsho from the Arizona Diamondbacks on Friday in exchange for fellow outfielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr., ...

The Blue Jays had designated Kay for assignment on Dec. Varsho was among a group of young, talented outfielders on the Diamondbacks, who were 74-88 last season. Toronto (92-70) finished seven games behind the first-place New York Yankees in the AL East last season. Toronto was deep at the catcher position with all-star Alejandro Kirk and Danny Jansen. Varsho gives the Blue Jays a much-needed left-handed power bat but his addition came at a significant cost. He also spent some time in centre field and made 18 starts as a catcher.

Recently acquired for Gabriel Moreno and Lourdes Gurriel Jr., how will catcher/outfielder Daulton Varsho fit into the Blue Jays' lineup and defensive mix?

With Varsho, Kiermaier, and Springer, the Blue Jays have three 'natural' centerfielders to spread around the turf, with an outfield layout of Varsho in left, Kiermaier in center, and Springer in right seeming most likely at this time. Both Springer and Kiermaier have spent significant time on the injured list, too, so Varsho's ability to play in center and right will be useful. With Moreno heading to Arizona, Toronto's catching tandem will be a similar Danny Jansen/Alejandro Kirk split the Jays rolled with for stretches last year. Varsho might be the most unique defender in baseball, with 82 career games at catcher and 182 in the outfield. Overall, Varsho's strength has been against right-handed pitching, posting an .801 OPS and hitting 26 of his 27 homers last year against the strong side of the platoon. Adding those elements to Toronto's lineup came at a price, though, with the Blue Jays sending off outfielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr.

Diamondbacks send outfielder to Toronto for Gurriel, top prospect Moreno.

[was a lot to give up](https://www.thestar.com/sports/bluejays/opinion/2022/07/12/gabriel-moreno-leaves-good-first-impression-on-blue-jays-hes-almost-like-kirk.html), yet this felt like the type of deal the Jays had to make. [Daulton Varsho](https://www.thestar.com/sports/baseball/players/1396097/stats) from the [Arizona Diamondbacks](https://www.thestar.com/sports/baseball/teams/arizona-diamondbacks/summary) to help balance out a predominantly right-handed-hitting lineup. If they go on to secure an AL East title and win a couple rounds in the post-season, the trade will have been worth it no matter what. [The two sides had been considered ideal trading partners](https://www.thestar.com/sports/bluejays/opinion/2022/11/25/the-blue-jays-need-an-outfielder-the-diamondbacks-need-a-catcher-lets-make-a-deal.html) since the end of the 2022 campaign because the Jays had catching to spare and required another outfielder. Deep down, the Jays never wanted to trade him but Kirk’s emergence as an all-star-calibre hitter and elite pitch framer, combined with Jansen’s experience, meant it was something they had to consider. The Jays appear to have done that by using a third-string catcher, whose impact next season figured to be minimal, to upgrade a corner outfield spot. The inclusion of Gurriel, instead of a couple lower-level prospects to round out the deal, is more curious even though the impact won’t be felt beyond 2023. Moreno wasn’t just any other third-string catcher, he’s one of the game’s top prospects. He was a finalist for a Gold Glove in 2022 and ranked in the 99th percentile for outs above average and the 97th percentile for outfielder jump. [Blue Jays](https://www.thestar.com/sports/bluejays.html) had been searching all off-season for a powerful left-handed bat to insert into their lineup. The Wisconsin native was the Diamondbacks’ leadoff man for 62 games last season but should settle in as a middle-of-the-order bat for the Jays. The cost to acquire Varsho was extremely high, but it was a price the Jays were prepared to pay to transform their lineup.

In acquiring Daulton Varsho from the Arizona Diamondback on Friday, the Blue Jays have continued a significant overhaul.

“So including Gurriel in the deal was difficult for us but necessary from their end.” The team places immense value on Danny Jansen’s ability to manage games and the pitching staff and sees Alejandro Kirk as a cornerstone of its offence. “The power is there for sure, having hit 27 home runs (last season) … Each of Varsho, Kiermaier and George Springer can play centre and the Jays are comfortable moving the newest guy to any of the three spots. While there’s room to read between the lines on Atkins’ comments, the GM said a culture shift “wasn’t a priority” this off-season. “We’re exceptionally excited about these guys we’ve acquired this year, (Erik) Swanson, (Kevin) Kiermaier, (Chris) Bassitt and now Varsho,” Atkins said on a Christmas Eve Zoom call.

Varsho gives the Blue Jays elite outfield defence and the left-handed power bat the club had been seeking.