The Toronto Blue Jays have been relatively busy during the MLB offseason, following an inconsistent campaign and an absolutely heartbreaking loss to the Seattle Mariners in the AL Wildcard Series. Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins said there were holes that needed fixing, and he and the Blue Jays front office have been diligent in addressing them as the team remains in win-now mode heading into 2023. With the goals of adding left-handed bats , pitching and defense in mind, Toronto has made moves to improve each of these areas.
But as the team continues in their win-now mentality, that sentiment caused them to part ways with one of the best prospects in all of baseball: Gabriel Moreno. Only time will tell how the moves work out, but trading Gabriel Moreno and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. to the Arizona Diamondbacks for Daulton Varsho was unquestionably the riskiest offseason move Atkins and the Blue Jays have made thus far.
Blue Jays add pitching, defense
Before we get into the trade, it’s worth noting that the Jays made some very reasonable moves before the swap, shipping Teoscar Hernandez to the Mariners for reliever Erik Swanson and starting pitcher Adam Macko. Swanson is coming off a career year in the Mariners bullpen (1.68 ERA, 70 Ks in 53 IP) and will slot in nicely as the Jays set-up man, while Macko is a promising young lefty and ranks as the Blue Jays eighth overall prospect . Hernandez could have brought more value, but being on the last year of his deal, the trade made sense for the Jays and leaves them better off in the pitching department next season.
The Jays also signed three-time Gold-Glove winner Kevin Kiermaier to a one-year, $9 million deal, adding much-needed outfield defense and a left-handed bat. That move will send George Springer to right field, add clubhouse leadership, and allow the veteran to continue to play elite defense for the blue birds.
In perhaps the savviest move from Atkins and company, the team signed former Mets starter and workhorse Chris Bassitt to a three-year, $63 million deal. It’s a huge addition for the Jays pitching staff, as Bassitt was one of the top pitchers on the market. He was very good in New York last year, finishing with a 3.42 ERA and 1.145 WHIP. And that was considered an off-year, as the 33-year-old had monster seasons in 2021 and 2020, finishing with a 3.15 ERA and a 2.29 ERA, respectively. Bassitt had a whopping 48 percent ground ball rate last year which works out well for the strong infield the Jays have in Matt Chapman, Bo Bichette, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Santiago Espinal.
Blue Jays riskiest offseason move: trading Gabriel Moreno
All three of the aforementioned moves will help the Toronto Blue Jays next season, and none of them provide too much risk. But the team’s latest deal most certainly will: trading Gabriel Moreno and fan-favorite Lourdes Gurriel Jr. to the Diamondbacks for Daulton Varsho. Blue Jays fans were initially outraged to lose such an important prospect in Moreno, who was not only one of the best prospects in the sport, but a player with elite potential and at one point, the No. 1 prospect in baseball last summer. In 70 at-bats in the majors last year, he batted a phenomenal .319 along with good defense behind the plate. It was an extremely tough player to give up, but he was blocked by two very solid catchers ahead of him in Danny Jansen and Alejandro Kirk, and it won’t take Jays long to learn the name Daulton Varsho.
Varsho is as unique as they come in Major League Baseball, as both a centerfielder and a catcher, a Gold-Glove finalist in the outfield, and a player who hit 27 home runs and stole 16 bases last season. His 4.6 fWAR was ninth best among MLB outfielders last season, which would have led all Blue Jays position players, and he’s a much-needed left handed bat. Adding him to an outfield with Kiermaier and Springer turns the Jays into one of the most complete outfield units in the game, and the 26-year-olds’ best seasons might still be ahead of him in Toronto as he has four years left of club control.
Losing Gabriel Moreno is a tough pill to swallow for Blue Jays fans, and despite the promise that Varsho brings, only time will tell which team won the trade. The offseason moves the Jays have made make them significantly better for their win-now window, but without question, dealing Moreno for Varsho is the riskiest one. It’s potentially the riskiest move Ross Atkins has made at the helm of the MLB’s Toronto Blue Jays.
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