The Astros don’t exactly have an outfield worthy of a postseason contender. To be honest, they still won’t even when the trade for Daulton Varsho is finalized, but an area of weakness becomes a bit less of a liability.
Varsho, 30, does check a few boxes for Houston. One, he is left-handed. Two, he can play in the outfield well, at all three positions to boot. He did win a Gold Glove in 2024, after all. Three, there is some pop in his bat, hitting at least 18 home runs in each season since 2022 through 2025. While his offensive numbers are down this season (91 wRC+ and .375 SLG), he does bolster an outfield that ranks among the worst in baseball at the plate. Fortunately, his defense should translate nicely and not subtract from one aspect that has been a positive for the Astros this season. If anything, Varsho might actually improve the defense in center field since Jake Meyers is no longer part of the organization’s plans at this moment.
That said, the cost for Varsho was a little interesting. This time, it’s Spencer Arrighetti getting sent to the Blue Jays.
While Arrighetti’s struggles since his AL Pitcher of the Month performance in May are worth pointing out, he is still under club control for three more seasons. Varsho is scheduled to enter free agency after this season. Regardless of how one views Arrighetti, three years of club control for any pitcher, even if he is entering arbitration soon, is a valuable commodity in baseball today.
Cost-controlled pitchers will never go out of style, but for a rental outfielder who is having a down year offensively, the price is a bit steep. Of course, the Astros don’t have many options to upgrade the roster, with the farm system still ranked among the worst in the sport and an unwillingness to trade from the active roster amid a recent surge in the standings. With Ronel Blanco, Hayden Wesneski, and Cristian Javier all returning from the IL in recent weeks, in addition to Arrighetti’s struggles, there wasn’t arguably room for him on the active roster once he returns from the IL.
However, the Astros needed an outfielder in the worst possible way, although Varsho likely won’t move the needle that much. He certainly provides more power upside and stability than other options on the roster, which is a positive development. While the cost might prove too high, that’s the reality of the situation. The price to improve at this trade deadline, with limited sellers, was always destined to be high.
Feature photo from Blue Jays on X
Unless some reliable source confirms a rumor of Loperfido having a discipline problem with Espada (maybe Espada has a problem handling players, like Dusty and Chas) this is a stupid trade.
I’ll be there to say good bye to DB.
If that is the case, and Espada can’t handle difficult players, I can live very comfortably without Espada.
You will get your wish lol. Jimmy told Dana that he won’t let him guy the farm to save his job haha