Blue Jays Reaching Settlement With Daulton Varsho Key to 2026 Success

The Toronto Blue Jays recently settled with key outfielder Daulton Varsho, and doing so is a huge step in the right direction for their 2026 roster.

Oct 29, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Toronto Blue Jays center fielder Daulton Varsho (5) celebrates after hitting a triple during the fourth inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers during game five of the 2025 MLB World Series at Dodger Stadium. | Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

The Toronto Blue Jays put together an exceptional 2025 campaign and nearly won the World Series, and now, it is all hands on deck to try and push for a 2026 championship without hesitation.

While adding new flashy stars to the team is always a huge plus, maintaining the core pieces that got them there in the first place is also key. They have been able to do so throughout their offseason to this point.

With the arbitration deadline being Thursday, January 8, it was paramount to keep some of their top players around, and one of the bigger names up for a settlement was outfielder Daulton Varsho. Thankfully, the Blue Jays were able to agree on a deal with him, worth $10.75 million, quite a bit for a player entering arbitration, but warranted given his 2025 production.

Daulton Varsho avoided arbitration with the Blue Jays, signing for $10.75M.

— Joel Sherman (@Joelsherman1) January 8, 2026

Now the question turns to 2026, as he did not have a full opportunity to play all of 2025 due to injuries. He will likely be an everyday starter alongside Addison Barger and Anthony Santander, with George Springer at designated hitter. So, with a full season hopefully ahead for Varsho, what could his numbers look like?

What Could Varsho's 2026 Production Look Like With Toronto?

Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

Just looking at Varsho's 2025 numbers initially, he had a pretty solid season given his injury history. In 71 games, he slashed .238/.284/.548 with 20 home runs, 55 RBI, 43 runs, 77 strikeouts and 17 walks, accruing 2.8 bWAR.

A lot of his production came on the defensive end, though, as in 550.1 innings in center field, he only had one error, alongside 146 putouts and an assist, good for a .993 fielding rate.

In the postseason, his numbers dropped a little bit, slashing .227/.284/.427, but his defense was still stout, and he made a few big impact plays with three home runs across the three series.

As for 2026, Fangraphs has him playing in 118 games, slashing .227/.294/.432 with 21 home runs, 57 runs, 63 RBI, seven stolen bases, a 25.6% strikeout rate and an 8.0% walk rate. His defense gets him up to a 1.6 fWAR despite the tough offensive projections, but this would be a rather disappointing season from Varsho if it ended this way.

Hopefully, his stats look more in line with his 2025 ones, just scaled up to a larger sample size with more counting stats. Regardless, having him around will be crucial for Toronto, and getting him back before arbitration was a good decision.

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