Daulton Varsho

2022 - 12 - 24

Post cover — Image courtesy of "Arizona Sports"

Mike Hazen says Diamondbacks did not take trading Daulton ... (Arizona Sports)

Trading Daulton Varsho was a "challenge," but Mike Hazen concluded that it was a way to improve the lineup in 2023 and going forward.

“We were chasing more specific players in these trades versus just trying to acquire as much volume and value as we could,” Hazen said. “(Moreno’s) ability to get on base, he makes contact, he’s got a great two-strike approach, he’s just a really good hitter,” Hazen said. … But as we started to really stare down what our returns could be and how we could actually impact our major league team, it became fairly clear the avenue that we were going to have to ultimately take if we wanted to do that.” can give the D-backs a more dynamic offense with greater versatility. “In order for us to add the talent that we felt like we added to the organization, it wouldn’t have been possible otherwise. Hazen said he got plentiful calls on all of Arizona’s outfielders, a positional surplus heading into the offseason.

Thoughts on the Daulton Varsho for Gabriel Moreno, Lourdes ... (AZ Snake Pit)

I don't think the trade of a young Arizona outfielder can have come as any surprise. Not least because of Mike Hazen's consistent statements that the team ...

Varsho was estimated to get $2.8 million in arbitration, while Gurriel, in what appears to be the final year of his contract, is due to be paid $5.4 million. [Apologies for any typos in the above. External opinions seem hard to come by - likely an offshoot of the trade happening just before the Christmas weekend! But this feels like a solid trade for both sides, dealing from strength to address positions of need. Moreno is still only 22, and I can foresee a transition period, as he learns to work with the pitching staff. However, he is basically as close as you can get, and has hit .310 with an .844 OPS in the minors - without the benefit of the Pacific Coast League! He's also going to be considerably more vulnerable to being targeted by opposing left-handed relievers, as one of the few LHBs on the Blue Jays. He's a less effective defender, but is a right-handed bat, which will help balance the line-up, especially in the outfield. It is a risk, in that Moreno is not an established major-league player, with only73 MLB plate-appearances. I don't think the trade of a young Arizona outfielder can have come as any surprise. He had a better chance of hiding in the pack among the D-backs’ lefty-heavy line-up. Also, while the defensive metrics loved Varsho in the outfield, putting up 2 dWAR consistently, like he did in 2022, is very hard.

Gabriel Moreno, Daulton Varsho Trade Evaluation, Part 1 (Sports Illustrated)

The Diamondbacks and Toronto Blue Jays made a trade yesterday, exchanging Daulton Varsho for top rated catching prospect Gabriel Moreno and veteran right ...

Don't forget Gurriel and Moreno will be taking up two roster spots and cost more money in total and still project to come up short of the projected WAR for Varsho. In Part 2 we will take a look at what this means for the entire roster and how it affects the other player's projections. If I increase his rate of production for just the 2024-26 seasons by 0.5 WAR, but still don't move the playing time up and regress him back to the lower rate of production for the final two years we arrive at 13.8 WAR and $82 million surplus value. The average of the two systems pro rated to 450 PA is 1 WAR. The projection below is based on him being a finished product and not producing WAR at a higher rate than his 2023 projection for the entirety of his contract. We can now see a reasonable range of outcomes presented above for these two players that are roughly in the same range. Of course projecting only 1890 PA and no improvement in the rate of production above his 2023 projection is extremely conservative. Part 2 will take a closer look at what this means in the context of the entire Diamondbacks roster in both the short and long term. I increase his playing time to 350 PA for the next three years, and then decrease back down to 280 PA for the final two years. I would personally look at the $61 million projection as a floor, and the $77 million as a 60 or 70th percentile projection. Recently [ZiPS](https://blogs.fangraphs.com/2023-zips-projections-arizona-diamondbacks/) projection system gave Varsho 2.8 WAR in 534 PA and [Steamer](https://www.fangraphs.com/players/daulton-varsho/19918/stats?position=C/OF) projections gave him 3.1 WAR in 582 PA. Trades should not be looked at in the vacuum of just the players involved in the deal itself.

Blue Jays free agency plan after Daulton Varsho trade (ClutchPoints)

Are you 1000% a baseball fan? Get compelling MLB news, trade rumors, and viral buzz delivered right to your inbox with the Clutch newsletter: Your clutchest ...

[reviously signed SP Christ Bassitt](https://clutchpoints.com/chris-bassitt-agrees-to-63-million-deal-with-blue-jays) to boost the rotation. The [deal provides Toronto](https://clutchpoints.com/grading-blue-jays-diamondbacks-daulton-varsho-trade) with a versatile player who features a high ceiling. [acquired C/OF Daulton Varsho](https://clutchpoints.com/blue-jays-news-toronto-diamondbacks-agree-to-daulton-varsho-gabriel-moreno-trade) from the Arizona Diamondbacks on Friday.

'The ideal fit': Blue Jays GM Atkins sees Varsho as primary left fielder (Sportsnet.ca)

Daulon Varsho did not start any games in left field for the Arizona Diamondbacks last year. He started 61 games in right field, 42 in centre, ...

Atkins said the Blue Jays feel they have made major strides in run prevention by adding Varsho and Kiermaier. Including Lourdes Gurriel in the deal was difficult for us but necessary from their end," Atkins said. "That put is in a strong position to look for a more ideal fit and not just a good value deal. Every single catcher had significant interest from every team," Atkins said. "It is the ideal fit for this roster and one we are very excited about." Varsho hit 27 home runs last year on his way to a .235/.302/.443 batting line in a career-high 592 plate appearances.

HARD-NOSED GAMER: Blue Jays love what Daulton Varsho brings ... (Toronto Sun)

In acquiring Daulton Varsho from the Arizona Diamondback on Friday, the Blue Jays have continued a significant overhaul.

“So including Gurriel in the deal was difficult for us but necessary from their end.” The team places immense value on Danny Jansen’s ability to manage games and the pitching staff and sees Alejandro Kirk as a cornerstone of its offence. “The power is there for sure, having hit 27 home runs (last season) … Each of Varsho, Kiermaier and George Springer can play centre and the Jays are comfortable moving the newest guy to any of the three spots. While there’s room to read between the lines on Atkins’ comments, the GM said a culture shift “wasn’t a priority” this off-season. “We’re exceptionally excited about these guys we’ve acquired this year, (Erik) Swanson, (Kevin) Kiermaier, (Chris) Bassitt and now Varsho,” Atkins said on a Christmas Eve Zoom call.

Blue Jays Acquire Daulton Varsho from Diamondbacks (NESN.com)

This was a significant trade as the Jays sent one of their top prospects in, Gabriel Moreno, along with solid MLB regular Lourdes Gurriel, back to the Dbacks in ...

You can find the odds for every MLB team to win the championship on the FanDuel Sportsbook. The Blue Jays, however, are a team on the rise and are expected to do damage. They are still a work in progress and have quite a ways to go to challenge the big boys in the National League West.