Blue Jays' Previously Disastrous Trade Aging Well as Daulton Varsho Shines

The Toronto Blue Jays were widely mocked for a trade that now looks like a good move years later.

Jul 28, 2024; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Blue Jays left fielder Daulton Varsho (25) heads for home on his two run home run against the Texas Rangers during the first inning at Rogers Centre. | John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images

In the winter of 2022, the Toronto Blue Jays dealt catching prospect Gabriel Moreno and outfielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr. to the Arizona Diamondbacks in exchange for Daulton Varsho.

The blockbuster move was hotly debated at the time it happened, with plenty of opinions for and against for both teams' sides of the deal.

It didn't take long for the Diamondbacks to emerge as the clear winner.

In the 2023 season, Arizona went on a magical run that ended with a World Series loss at the hands of the Texas Rangers.

Moreno and Gurriel Jr. played big roles in the run, as the former won the National League Gold Glove in his his first full MLB season while the latter hit a career-high 24 home runs.

While the Diamondbacks claimed the NL pennant, the Blue Jays were unceremoniously discarded from the AL playoffs in the Wild Card round while scoring just one run in two games against the Minnesota Twins.

Revisiting the Toronto Blue Jays Acquisition of Daulton Varsho

Varsho has been great for the Blue Jays since his arrival, but the accomplishments of his counterparts made the trade a tough one for Toronto.

Now, Varsho is a productive hitter who stands as the clear-cut best defensive outfielder in the sport, while Moreno and Gurriel Jr. are struggling in the desert.

Despite missing considerable time to injury this year, his seven home runs in 18 games lead the team despite Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Anthony Santander appearing in 50 and 44 contests, respectively.

Varsho also leads the team by a wide margin with a slugging percentage of .580.

In the outfield, he regularly makes circus catches that only he can, and it said a lot that when Varsho and Kevin Kiermaier were both on this roster the past two seasons, it was Varsho who earned the increased defensive responsibilities over the four-time Gold Glover.

Varsho has blossomed into an excellent player in both faets of the game, while Moreno and Gurriel Jr. have combined for 0.1 bWAR with Arizona this season.

Many thought the Blue Jays picked the wrong catching prospect to keep, and that could theoretically still end up being the case over time. But Alejandro Kirk has produced 0.5 bWAR while hitting .283 this season.

Varsho looks like the sort of complete, dynamic player that teams spend years looking for to complete their outfield, and though Toronto has not yet replicated the team success the Diamondbacks found in 2023, they should be off the hook for further critcism regarding this deal.