Like father, like son? Varsho hopes trade to Blue Jays turns out like dad’s story

Baseball
Published 24.12.2022
Like father, like son? Varsho hopes trade to Blue Jays turns out like dad’s story

Gary Varsho all the time informed his son Daulton that the most effective issues to occur in his profession was getting traded.

It was spring coaching, 1991 when Varsho, who spent his first 9 skilled seasons with the Chicago Cubs, was dealt to the Pittsburgh Pirates. Suddenly, the nook outfielder went from sparse alternatives with the Cubs to a extra common position with the Pirates, occurring to have the perfect statistical season of his profession with a .273/.344/.417 batting line, good for a 117 wRC+.

That summer time, towards the Cubs of all groups, Varsho performed the sport of his life, going 3-for-4 with two homers, a triple, and a sacrifice fly, driving in a career-high six runs. And that fall, he made his first of two consecutive NLCS appearances with the Pirates — the one style of post-season baseball he’d get in his profession.

“It was one of the greatest things for him. And so, I’m thinking the same thing,” Daulton Varsho mentioned Saturday, discussing the commerce that despatched him from the Arizona Diamondbacks to the Toronto Blue Jays a day earlier. “I’m coming to the winning team here in Toronto and it’s going to be a lot of fun. A lot of the guys already reached out to me and it’s already making me feel at home.”

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The commerce, which noticed the Blue Jays purchase Varsho for catcher Gabriel Moreno and outfielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr., caught the 26-year-old unexpectedly. He’d seen his title in loads of hypothesis this low season and his father had even talked about the Blue Jays as an excellent potential match. But there’s no getting ready to your first time being dealt.

“I didn’t ever think that it was really going to happen. And when it happened, I got a little shocked,” Varsho mentioned. “But now, being round and speaking with the blokes and speaking with the workers, it’s going to be a terrific match for me and my household. Just excited to have the ability to be part of it. It’s going to be lots of enjoyable.

“They’re a young group, like we were in Arizona. But they have a little bit more time and experience all around. They’ve just got a good, all-around team. Facing a couple of the guys who went over like Kevin Gausman, I know what they have there to be able to do a lot of things and make it special,” he continued. “Bo Bichette texted me this morning, welcoming me to the team. It’s just pretty cool all those little things. It means a lot to me because it creates a little family bond, which is a big thing for me.”

In buying a strong, left-handed bat who graded final season as one in all MLB’s greatest outfield defenders, the Blue Jays are excited themselves. Varsho helps Toronto diversify its at-times homogenous offence and will increase the membership’s flexibility to deploy optimally constructed lineups.

“The impact that he’s going to have on our team is going to be on every side of the ball — the baserunning impact, the speed, the versatility, elite defecse, and the fact that he can also catch for us is about as good of a fit as possibly we could have found,” Blue Jays GM Ross Atkins mentioned. “It is the ideal fit for this roster and one that we are very excited about.”

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Throughout the low season, Atkins has repeatedly said his entrance workplace group’s need to enhance the membership’s run prevention forward of 2023. Trading for reliever Erik Swanson earlier than signing outfielder Kevin Kiermaier and right-handed starter Chris Bassitt made vital strides in that path. And whereas Varsho’s left-handed energy strategy — he hit .235/.302/.443 with 27 homers and a 106 wRC+ in 2022 — actually made him a gorgeous complement to Toronto’s right-handed heavy lineup, Atkins mentioned the membership was simply as drawn to the defensive affect he might present.

Varsho led MLB with 18 outs above common final season and ranked throughout the league’s 97th percentile when it comes to outfielder soar as measured by Statcast. Various public defensive metrics give him plus grades in each proper and centre discipline, though his below-average arm energy might make him a greater match for left.

That’s the place Atkins mentioned Varsho would predominantly play for the Blue Jays, though he’ll seemingly additionally see time on the different two outfield spots as circumstances warrant. Varsho, who started his skilled profession behind the plate, also can function a de facto third catcher behind Danny Jansen and Alejandro Kirk, permitting the Blue Jays to leverage one in all their major two backstops as a delegated hitter in the event that they so select.

“It’d be hard for him to be better as a defender. I think tapping into the versatility, the fact that he can play all three outfield positions and catch, is a very good complement to us,” Atkins mentioned. “We’ve been entirely focused on preventing more runs and we feel like we’ve made huge strides in that area.”

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Of course, the Blue Jays are paying a considerable value to accumulate Varsho. Moreno was ranked as a top-three prospect within the sport this season by each Baseball America and FanGraphs. An athletic defender with robust contact potential, the right-handed hitter batted .315/.386/.420 with a 120 wRC+ throughout 267 triple-A plate appearances, and .319/.356/.377 with a 113 wRC+ over a restricted, 73-plate-appearance MLB pattern.

His most evident query mark was a comparatively meagre energy output this season, which noticed him depart the yard solely 4 occasions over his 340 plate appearances at any degree. But a few of that could possibly be tied to thumb and wrist points he’s battled since 2021. And, getting into his age-23 season, Moreno nonetheless has loads of time and potential to discover a method to drive the ball with extra authority.

“All trades are difficult,” Atkins mentioned. “To acquire a player of this calibre, one of the top players, better players in the game last year, you’re going to have to be uncomfortable.”

Gurriel, in the meantime, has been an vital a part of the Blue Jays core since his 2018 MLB debut. Only three gamers — Teoscar Hernandez, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., and Randal Grichuk — have made extra plate appearances for the Blue Jays over that span. And Gurriel’s have been actually productive, as he’s slashing .285/.329/.468 with a 115 wRC+ for his profession.

Defensive limitations and final season’s dip in energy numbers — Gurriel underwent hamate surgical procedure on his left hand in October — however, the 29-year-old performed a principal position on a pair of playoff groups and back-to-back 90-game winners. But Atkins mentioned together with Gurriel, who’s getting into his ultimate season previous to free company, within the deal was important from Arizona’s perspective.

“Including Lourdes Gurriel in the deal was difficult for us but necessary from their end,” Atkins said. “They were looking to consolidate talent at the major-league level as well. So, the prospect-driven deals weren’t as attractive to them.”

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Of course, Atkins has a robust relationship with Diamondbacks GM Mike Hazen courting again to their time working collectively in Cleveland’s participant improvement system years in the past. That, coupled with Toronto’s surplus of major-league catchers and Arizona’s surplus of left-handed hitting centre fielders, led to very energetic commerce discussions between the 2 sides all through the low season.

“Right from the start, we felt that was going to be a very important team and fit. From the very beginning of the offseason, that dialogue began,” Atkins mentioned. “All three catchers have been of some curiosity to them and all of their outfielders have been of some curiosity [to us.]

“I think the component that made it challenging is that we were both trying to consolidate more talent on our major-league roster. They are looking to take steps forward, obviously, and push the envelope on the winning front. And that’s why Lourdes Gurriel came into the picture and made this deal work.”

Barring one thing dramatic and unexpected, Varsho would be the ultimate main acquisition of Toronto’s low season. But Atkins mentioned the Blue Jays would nonetheless look to make enhancements across the fringes of its roster.

“I think our heavy lifting is done,” Atkins mentioned. “But certainly not ruling anything out and would expect some incremental improvements. But very excited about this impact and feel good about the previous acquisitions that we’ve made as well.”

That might come within the type of one other outfielder or utility sort to spherical out the Blue Jays bench. Varsho’s profession platoon splits — .781 OPS vs. right-handed pitching; .615 vs. lefties — are notable and the Blue Jays might look to reinforce their choices towards left-handed pitching.

The Blue Jays might additionally look to improve the again finish of their rotation, the place Yusei Kikuchi and Mitch White are at the moment positioned as Toronto’s Nos. 5 and 6 starters. Bullpen provides stay attainable, as properly, though that might necessitate the Blue Jays subtracting from what’s at the moment a crowded discipline of relievers.

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Ultimately, the Blue Jays have completed the most important changes they sought to make this winter — bettering defensively, upgrading their pitching workers, and diversifying their offensive profile. There’s additionally a personality line to be drawn by means of their three most up-to-date acquisitions, as Kiermaier, Bassitt, and Varsho are all properly considered intense, unrelenting rivals.

“From a personality and teammate standpoint, he is a hard-nosed gamer that loves the process, loves the work,” Atkins mentioned of Varsho. “We’re exceptionally excited about how these guys that we’ve acquired this year in Swanson, Kiermaier, Bassitt and now Varsho, go about their business, their competitiveness, their focus on process, and their focus on being good teammates.”

Varsho describes his mindset as “fast and physical.” The identical mentality he carried as a soccer participant rising up in Wisconsin. If he’s pursuing a baseball in an outfield hole, monitoring down a pop up behind dwelling plate, or making an attempt to go first-to-third, he’s doing it with a full head of steam. And who does Varsho credit score for that intuition? Well, who do you assume?

“I learned a lot of those things from my dad,” Varsho mentioned. “He’s the guy I go to every day. He’s the one that I’m able to bounce some things off. He’s been there from the beginning to the end of understanding my swing, understanding an adjustment, helping me out with outfield play, and understanding the little things that go on with an everyday game. There’s not really many people who are going to understand going through a 162-game season, the ebbs and flows, and what that’s all like. So, it’s nice to have that resource.”

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