The Toronto Blue Jays announced they acquired outfielder Daulton Varsho from the Arizona Diamondbacks on Friday for top catching prospect Gabriel Moreno and outfielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr.
Varsho, 26, is coming off a breakout campaign during which he split time at catcher and outfield. He hit .235/.302/.443 with 27 homers and 16 stolen bases while ranking 99th percentile in outs above average and 97th percentile in outfield jump, according to Baseball Savant.
“We are extremely excited about the fit, the person, the teammate, I can’t imagine a better fit for this team,” Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins said of acquiring Varsho, according to The Athletic’s Kaitlyn McGrath.
The left-handed hitter posted a 121 wRC+ against right-handed pitchers but a 52 wRC+ against southpaws. He’s under team control through the 2026 campaign, and is projected to earn $2.8 million in his first year of arbitration eligibility.
Varsho will join a Blue Jays outfield comprised of Kevin Kiermaier and George Springer, giving Toronto three natural center fielders.
Moreno was considered one of MLB’s top prospects at the midway point of the 2022 campaign. The 22-year-old made his big-league debut in June and went on to hit .319/.356/.377 with one homer over 25 games with the Blue Jays last year. He is lauded for both his pitch framing and ability to prevent base stealers from behind the plate.
Gurriel, 29, is entering his final season of a seven-year, $22-million deal signed as an international free agent prior to the 2017 campaign. Over five seasons, the streaky right-hander hit .285/.329/.468 with 68 homers and 14 steals in 468 contests.
