The Launch Angle

I spent the entire offseason wondering when, or even if, the Astros would trade Jesús Sánchez. A 71 wRC+ and numerous defensive gaffes during his time in Houston didn’t help his case, especially for a club that traded away already thin pitching depth in Ryan Gusto to acquire Sánchez from the Marlins last July. It felt like his time in Houston was drawing to a close, although the track record at least indicates a serviceable platoon bat against right-handed pitchers. For a team expressing a desire to find another left-handed bat who can play the outfield, you could do worse than Sánchez, who was already on the roster.

With that said, Sánchez is making $6.8 million this season and there is the whole infield logjam situation to sort out. Backup catcher is also a need and the Astros were roughly $3.913 million below the first tax threshold for 2026 per Cot’s Baseball Contracts. In other words, there wasn’t a lot of payroll space to operate if Jim Crane doesn’t want to exceed that $244 million threshold for the time being. Depending on what happens with trade talks involving Isaac Paredes and/or Christian Walker, the lack of payroll flexibility could prove a hinderance. That’s why it wasn’t a huge surprise to see Sánchez finally traded, this time to the Blue Jays with an old friend coming back in return.

This trade, plain and simple, was designed to trim payroll. Yes, Joey Loperfido certainly brings good vibes and he is an outfielder who can hit left-handed. Perhaps his progression as a hitter translates from Toronto to Houston, even if he is mostly a platoon option in the outfield. He also makes the league minimum and under multiple years of (cheap) club control. Toronto, in turn, will absorb all of Sánchez’s entire $6.8 million salary, with one more year of arbitration remaining. For a team that has lost Anthony Santander to shoulder surgery for most of 2026, it was a move that moderately fortifies the Blue Jays lineup.

Loperfido, to his credit, did show some improvement as a hitter in his first season within the Blue Jays organization, with four home runs and a 148 wRC+ in 104 Major League plate appearances. His production in the minors was more muted, with a 103 wRC+ in 373 plate appearances. However, Loperfido modestly lessened his propensity to whiff and, ultimately, strikeout at the plate with a 21.4% MiLB K% and a 26% MLB K%.

If nothing else, Loperfido could provide some additional depth as a platoon option in the outfield, earning far less than Sánchez for a similar role. For an organization seemingly not finished with addressing the roster via trade, the additional savings could prove beneficial in future deals.

Photo courtesy of Pixel Pete