Earlier this afternoon, the Blue Jays traded Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and Gabriel Moreno to Arizona. In return, the club got their hands on Daulton Varsho.
We’re talking about an excellent outfielder… but the price is high.
The Blue Jays have had a funny year 2022 in terms of personnel turnover. After all, aside from the arrival of Matt Chapman, the Blue Jays can’t be said to have won unanimous support when they made trades.
At the deadline, the Jays acquired Whit Merrifield, Anthony Bass, Zach Pop and Mitch White. At that time, the conclusion was clear: the Blue Jays had not done enough to improve since certain needs had not been met.
And then, when the club collapsed in the playoffs, changes were requested. And if several guys left, the majority were replaced.
But in the outfield, the sticks that left (Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and Teoscar Hernandez) didn’t fully leave.
In fact, we are talking about two big right-handed hitters who have, at this time, been replaced by two left-handers: Daulton Varsho and Kevin Kiermaier.
Defensively, the club is better. In fact, defensively, the field is dominant.
But offensively, even if Varsho is very good and will be even more so following the end of the exaggerated defenses, the club has lost a bit of power.
A bit… or two. Or three.
Is this the right strategy? Will the club, which freed up a spot in the 40-player roster with today’s trade, add a stick? Maybe.
In the long run, everyone is aware of the risk of trading Moreno. But in the short term, did the changes awaiting the club also involve more than the pitch?
After all, Gurriel Jr. and Hernandez were often seen fooling around with Vladimir Guerrero Jr. in the taste. Did the Jays want to “clean up” by taking the two guys out to bring some seriousness back to the cabin? Maybe.
We must not forget that the two guys will be free as air at the end of the season. If the club weren’t planning to extend their contract to keep them in place, they might as well maximize their value.
The Jays have made a trade that is not impossible to understand, but that does not necessarily benefit them. Right now, if I had to crown a winner, it would be tough to go against the Arizona Diamondbacks.
That said, Varsho will be an excellent ball player. But it is certain that if we want to see him replace Gurriel Jr. offensively (in terms of power), it will be difficult.
