HOUSTON -- The Astros finally landed the left-handed outfield bat they have coveted since the offseason, acquiring Daulton Varsho and cash from the Blue Jays before Monday's Trade Deadline in exchange for right-hander Spencer Arrighetti, who’s been on the injured list since July 25 with a nerve irritation in his right foot.
The trade was consummated prior to the first game of the series between the Blue Jays and Astros at Daikin Park, meaning Varsho and Arrighetti simply had to swap uniforms and clubhouses. Varsho hit cleanup for the Astros on Monday and started in center, the position at which he won a Gold Glove in 2024 in the AL. He singled in his first at-bat and went 1-for-4 in Houston’s 3-1 loss.
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“Definitely a whirlwind,” Varsho said. “I was hitting in the cage when I got told to go into John’s [manager John Schneider] office. Obviously, just a little different, but guys were welcoming. Knowing Christian Walker over here [from their time in Arizona] gives me a little bit of a breather where you go into a clubhouse where you don’t know anybody, but a guy like that gives you a little bit of confidence to go in there and be yourself.”
TRADE DETAILS
Astros receive: OF Daulton Varsho
Blue Jays receive: RHP Spencer Arrighetti
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A free agent after this season, Varsho was hitting .243/.307/.682 with 19 doubles, seven home runs and 26 RBIs in 99 games this year for the Blue Jays. Last year, he launched 20 home runs in only 71 games while battling shoulder and hamstring injuries. He started all 18 games of Toronto’s run to the World Series and hit .227 with three homers, including one in the World Series.
Astros outfielders entered Monday with a .675 OPS, which was the fourth worst among the 30 Major League clubs.
“I’m excited to add Varsho to our lineup,” Astros manager Joe Espada said. “Not only does he fill a hole we’ve had here for a while, but he brings a different dynamic to our offense. He can really play center field, a lefty bat. This guy was in the World Series not that long ago, so he knows what it takes, knows what it feels like.”
The Astros began the year with Jake Meyers in center field, but he was optioned to Triple-A after hitting .206 in 52 games. Rookie Brice Matthews (who’s on the injured list), Taylor Trammell, Lucas Spence, Joey Loperfido, Zach Cole and Johnson have also made starts in center this year. Spence was optioned to Triple-A to make room for Varsho.
Astros general manager Dana Brown said the club came close to a couple of deals for a pitcher, but the price was too high in terms of prospects on the return. Brown’s contract expires at the end of the season, so there’s a chance he won’t return next year. Still, he tried to make a deal that wouldn’t mortgage the club’s future.
"We had multiple conversations in trying to acquire some pitching, felt like we got close a couple of times, but we fell short,” Brown said. “The one thing we have to do is we have to balance the upside play you're going to have with getting the pitching versus what it's going to do to your prospect capital and the future of the organization. So it's a delicate balance that you have to work through. And if you see some of the prices that people paid, you can tell that it wasn't easy.”
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With Arrighetti out of the picture, the Astros will continue the rest of the season with a rotation of Hunter Brown, Peter Lambert, Cristian Javier, Hayden Wesneski and Ronel Blanco. Wesneski and Blanco returned from Tommy John surgery last month, so there’s plenty of uncertainty about how much they’ll contribute in the final two months.
“I feel like, in a sense, getting Wesneski back and Blanco back and the way they’re off to a pretty good start to their rehabs, I feel like that, in itself, is a trade acquisition,” Brown said.
Tatsuya Imai, who signed a three-year, $54 million deal in the winter, was moved to the bullpen last week after posting a 5.83 ERA in 15 starts. Mike Burrows, an offseason trade acquisition from the Pirates who began the season in the rotation, landed on the IL after posting a 5.99 ERA in 17 starts.
The Astros’ best bet going forward in terms of pitching depth may be Imai and Burrow getting on track down the stretch, though their top two pitching prospects -- No. 5 Bryce Mayer and No. 6 Ethan Pecko -- are at Triple-A Sugar Land.
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Monday wasn’t the first time the Astros and Blue Jays made a deal at the Deadline while they were playing each other in Houston. The Astros traded Scott Feldman to the Jays in exchange for 18-year-old right-hander Lupe Chavez on Aug. 1, 2016 -- the same day the Astros acquired Yordan Alvarez from the Dodgers for reliever Josh Fields. Feldman pitched in relief that day for Toronto, taking the loss when he gave up a walk-off double to Carlos Correa in the 14th inning.
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Alvarez became the second player in club history to win two Player of the Month Awards in the same season, taking the honors for July (he also won in March/April). Jeff Bagwell won the National League Player of the Month in June and July 1994 -- the year he was named NL Most Valuable Player.
Alvarez hit .360 (31-for-86) with nine home runs, 22 RBIs, a .467 on-base percentage and a .721 slugging percentage (1.188 OPS) in 23 games in July. He led the AL in home runs, RBIs, OPS and slugging, while ranking second in walks (15) and hits. Alvarez entered the week leading the AL in all three Triple Crown categories, ranking first in batting average (.330), homers (35) and RBIs (84).
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