Blue Jays Trade For Diamondbacks' Luis Arias to Add Infield Depth

Toronto has made another trade, and this one is going to mix things up with the infield.

Team Mexico infielder Luis Urias against the Los Angeles Dodgers during a spring training game at Camelback Ranch. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

The Toronto Blue Jays are in excess of two things this season: outfielders and left-handed bats. This has been a major problem on top of the fact that the righties haven't been able to come through against lefties on the mound.

Therefore, there has been a big hole on the roster as they have had little to no room for error or injury, with their infielders, but they are trying to address that, and have made a trade with the Arizona Diamondbacks for a player who has major league experience.

Saturday afternoon, Mitch Bannon of The Athletic (subscription required) and other oulets reported that the Jays were acquiring right-handed utility man Luis Urías in exchange for cash considerations. Urías has played three of the four positions in the infield, as he seemingly has not suited up at first base.

With Ernie Clement being able to play first, as well as Kazuma Okamoto, they now have a few more options, and some weight off management's shoulders if they were to get into a jam with their infielders. Urías has an upward mobility clause in his contract and he will report to the Blue Jays instead of the minor leagues.

What To Know About Urías

Athletics second baseman Luis Urias (17) throws the ball before a game against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. | Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images

This will be the fifth ballclub that Urias has played for since 2023, if one can even count the Diamondbacks, as he never stepped outside of their farm system. But it isn't because he wasn't performing at the plate.

In 27 Triple-A games, Urias is hitting an astonishing .361 to complement a .939 OPS as he has slugged nearly .550 in that time.

Then, the biggest piece to this puzzle is how well he has hit throughout the entirety of his career against the left-handers that take the mound, and it isn't with a small sample size by any means.

Urias has taken nearly 550 at-bats against the lefties and only grounded into double plays 16 times, a stat that has haunted the Blue Jays this season. But that isn't the only thing to like about Urias as he is hitting .254, and slugging .417 against them.

Blue Jays left fielder Jesus Sanchez (12) hits a single against the Baltimore Orioles in the seventh inning at Rogers Centre. | Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images

At this point, the Blue Jays have multiple players who have consistently been automatic outs this season when a left-handed pitcher takes the mound, as Andres Gimenez, Nathan Lukes, Yohendrick Pinango, and Jesus Sanchez have all struggled.

That being said, a right-handed bat who has proven themselves in those situations would do Toronto a whole lot of good.

If Urias keeps doing what he has been doing, there is no reason he shouldn't come to the Blue Jays bench, because they need help when lefties come to the mound right now, and this was a low-risk, high-reward, easy decision for the team to make.