2 Blue Jays Trades Suddenly Look Very Different After Latest Roster Moves
In this story:
It wasn't exactly a great time to be a 6'3" Caribbean-born outfielder with ties to the Toronto Blue Jays this past weekend.
On Friday, the Blue Jays announced that they were designating Jesús Sánchez for assignment in order to call up Rudy Martin Jr. Two days later, the Arizona Diamondbacks cut ties with Lourdes Gurriel Jr. Ironically, the Diamondbacks have since claimed Sánchez off waivers, in part to fill the role of the departed Gurriel Jr.
Of course, both names are readily familiar to Blue Jays fans. Sánchez played 99 games for Toronto this season, ranking T-8th on the club in home runs (eight) and seventh in doubles (18). Gurriel Jr., meanwhile, spent the first five seasons of his big league career with the team and even recorded a pair of 20-homer campaigns.
And now, within the span of one weekend, Sánchez and Gurriel Jr. have seen the end of their tenures with the Blue Jays and Diamondbacks, respectively. With that, the end result of Toronto trades involving the two players comes into clearer focus.
Blue Jays Close Book on Sánchez-for-Loperfido Deal
The demotion of Sánchez ends what turned out to only be a seven-month partnership between the player and team. The Dominican slugger was acquired from the Houston Astros back in February in exchange for Joey Loperfido, with Toronto hoping to turn a talented-but-injury-prone prospect into a more established power bat who was less than two years older.
Truth be told, the trade hasn't worked out particularly well for either side. Sánchez had the lowest home run and RBI output of his career apart from a brief MLB appearance in 2020. His offense, supposedly the biggest strength of his game, was not good enough (.260 /.318 /.416 slash line) to justify what was some absolutely porous defense in left and right field.
On the other side of the deal, Loperfido struggled with quad injuries and underperformance all season. He slashed just .216/.314/.333 over 39 big-league games after recording an .879 OPS just a year ago in Toronto. He is, however, enjoying a strong September at Triple-A Sugar Land and remains under team control for the foreseeable future.
Daulton Varsho Trade Looks Different in Light of Gurriel Jr.'s Arizona Departure
As one former Blue Jay arrives in Arizona, another is now on the way out. Gurriel Jr. has not yet landed with another MLB club, but it's probably safe to say his tenure with the Diamondbacks is finished. That brings a close to one key component of the late 2022 trade that saw Daulton Varsho join Toronto in exchange for Gurriel Jr. and catcher Gabriel Moreno.
Early on, the deal looked like a clear win for Arizona. The Diamondbacks reached the 2023 World Series thanks, in part, to what was an All-Star, 24-homer campaign from Gurriel Jr. Moreno, meanwhile, also enjoyed a strong rookie campaign and even earned a Gold Glove that year. The 26-year-old catcher continues to develop as a capable major leaguer on both sides of the diamond, although Gurriel Jr. hasn't been the same player over the past two seasons.
In Toronto, Varsho is now an ex-Blue Jay after a trade deadline deal that saw him shipped to the Houston Astros in exchange for Spencer Arrighetti. However, he left his mark in the city, showcasing elite defense in center field that netted him a Gold Glove in 2024 and serving as a key part of the 2025 team that came one out away from a World Series championship.
You could make the argument that Varsho has enjoyed the most success of any of the three players involved in the deal. But the fact that the Diamondbacks managed to land both Gurriel Jr. and Moreno, who could still make the deal look progressively worse for Toronto, gives the playoff-chasing NL West side a clear edge.
When it comes to evaluating trades, patience is often preached. This past weekend, however, brought a pair of transactions that helped bring some finality to two Blue Jays' deals.
Add us as a preferred source on Google
Ben Fisher is a long-time sportswriter and baseball lover, dating back to 2008, when he was a member of the media relations team for the Toronto Blue Jays. He has covered a wide range of sports for a seemingly endless array of publications, including The Canadian Press, Fansided and The Hockey Writers. When he isn't writing about sports, he can be found coaching his equally baseball-obsessed sons' Little League teams.