Blue Jays Aced Buzzer-Beating MLB Trade Deadline Deal With Twins
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The Toronto Blue Jays were looking to upgrade specific areas of their roster ahead of the MLB trade deadline.
Most of that focus was on the pitching staff, with an eye toward acquiring some starting pitching help to bolster a rotation that was projected to be middle-of-the-road down the stretch of the regular season.
There were also rumors swirling of the team being in the market for some late-game, high-leverage bullpen help.
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While the Blue Jays didn’t make any major splashes, their team is better than it was before the deadline with some of the depth additions that were made to address those needs.
At the buzzer, Toronto made arguably their best deal, acquiring relief pitcher Louie Varland and first baseman Ty France from the Minnesota Twins in exchange for outfielder Alan Roden and left-handed pitcher prospect Kendry Rojas.
It was a deal that was thought of very highly from the Blue Jays’ perspective, receiving a grade of “A” from Tyler Kepner of The Athletic (subscription required).
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“Varland has excelled this season, with a 2.02 ERA and just three home runs allowed…France helps the bench,” he wrote.
It was a shock to see how quickly things turned for the Twins, who were the most active sellers ahead of the deadline this year.
Rumors swirled that a few of their key bullpen pieces, such as closer Jhoan Duran and setup man Griffin Jax, were available. But, they went into a full teardown, shockingly moving Varland as well.
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A St. Paul, Minnesota native who is under team control through 2030, Toronto acquired a productive workhorse who will be a central part of their bullpen for years to come.
Attaching him to a useful veteran such as France all in the name of saving money, is a huge win for the Blue Jays.
If he can get close to regaining the form he showed with the Seattle Mariners from 2021 through 2023, Toronto’s bench has received a massive upgrade.
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The grade handed out by Kepner was warranted given how productive Verland and France have been and the relatively cheap price it cost.
Someone had to go from the outfield depth the Blue Jays have developed, especially with Daulton Varsho set to return to the lineup from the injured list.
There were reports that Toronto was not going to be shy about dealing from Major League depth and that is exactly what they did with Roden, who has been productive in the minors but had yet to make much of an impact in the Big Leagues.
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