Astros may not get the October boost they expected from former Blue Jays outfielder Daulton Varsho

When the Houston Astros acquired Daulton Varsho from the Toronto Blue Jays ahead of the trade deadline, the hope for Houston was that they were adding an experienced outfielder with elite defensive value, and some postseason pedigree.

But with the postseason race tightening and roster spots about to become even more valuable, there is now a real question about whether the Astros will actually get the October boost they were hoping for from the former Blue Jay.

FanSided looked at "One difficult roster move every MLB playoff team must make before October." This included for teams who were currently in a playoff spot at the time of the writing, when authored by Chris Kline on September 8, so it did not include the Toronto Blue Jays who were one game back. However, there is a notable former Blue Jays’ outfielder who was written about, and that is Varsho.

Kline wrote, "The Astros made a couple marginal moves at the deadline, including a trade for ex-Blue Jays outfielder Daulton Varsho. Just last year, Varsho tore through MLB over the second half of the season. He was electric during Toronto's World Series run, providing serious thump at the plate on top of elite defense in center field.

Varsho can still provide value with his glove, but the bat is M.I.A. since joining the Astros. Varsho has been in a funk all season, really, but his production has entered especially dire territory — batting .173 with a .582 OPS — in Houston. The Astros simply cannot afford to keep him in the lineup unless there's a quick and dramatic turnaround. Since he's on an expiring contract, Varsho could end up on the chopping block."

This is a harsh reminder that this game really is all about, "what have you done for me lately?" And the Astros look like they are at that point where the answer to that question surrounding Varsho is, "not a whole lot."

That is also where this becomes interesting from a Blue Jays perspective. Toronto did not exactly come away from the Varsho deal scot free, because Spencer Arrighetti has not been able to help the Blue Jays with their pitching woes.

Sure, he's a healthy body, but not one that is able to take the stress off of manager John Schneider, who is basically cobbling together a rotation down the stretch. Beyond Dylan Cease, José Soriano and Max Scherzer, Toronto's rotation looks bleak - but they are miraculously holding on.

That's why it would be great for them to get even a sliver of the version of Arrighetti who dominated earlier in the season with the Astros.

From his first start on Apr. 15 through May 28, Arrighetti started eight games and pitched to a 1.37 ERA and 3.99 FIP with 43 strikeouts in 47 innings. But Arrighetti’s fortune began to change in his June 3 start against the Pittsburgh Pirates, when he surrendered four earned runs, which was a season high at that point. The rest of June was no better, as he allowed 25 earned runs with a 9.00 ERA for the month.

Since June 3, Arrighetti has allowed 52 earned runs, posted an 8.26 ERA and surrendered 15 home runs while taking 10 losses across 13 games.

Daulton Varsho's absence has led to the emergence of Brett Bateman

But the broader outfield picture is where the Blue Jays can feel a lot better about where things stand. Varsho’s absence created an opportunity for Brett Bateman, and Bateman has done enough to hold his own since his MLB debut in early August.

Bateman, acquired from the Chicago Cubs along with infielder Ty Southisene in the Kevin Gausman deal, has quickly become one of the more encouraging developments in Toronto’s late-season push.

Since arriving in Toronto’s system, Bateman has produced with a .330/.398/.385 slash line, 16 runs scored and 1.2 fWAR through his first 27 games. His speed, defense and contact approach has transformed the top of the lineup, giving the Blue Jays the type of top of the order hitter they have sorely needed all year.

That value becomes even more striking when compared directly to Varsho. Bateman entered Wednesday's game having already accrued 1.2 fWAR, which is an 8-fWAR pace over a full 162-game season. Meanwhile, Varsho has been worth 1.3 fWAR over 130 games.

That is why FanSided’s question should be lingering in the minds of the Astros decision makers as they try to lock down the AL West and build their October roster plans.

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