7 Blue Jays least likely to be dealt at the trade deadline

Daulton Varsho

For Jays’ outfielder Daulton Varsho, it has been a mixed bag for him this season, as one aspect of his game has been outstanding, whereas another aspect has been severely lagging behind so far in 2023. Varsho has certainly come as advertised, as with his exceptional abilities in the field, he has definitely provided the defensive stability in the outfield that the Jays had sought for the past few years. He has made only one error all year and has 17 DRS to his belt, forming a two-headed defensive monster with Kevin Kiermaier.

However, his offensive output has left a lot to be desired. As one of the candidates the Jays looked upon to help fill the run production void left by the departed Teoscar Hernández and Lourdes Gurriel Jr., Varsho has struggled to a .214 average with a .634 OPS, with 41 runs scored, 12 home runs, 34 RBI and 12 stolen bases in 104 games played. He has shown some glimpses of promise with his impressive small ball play, beating out bunts for singles and roaming the basepaths with smart instincts, but some more power production was expected given his potential witnessed during his time with the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Despite that, as much as some fans wished the trade could be reversed, Varsho won’t be moved any time soon. One would just need to recall that even the power-hitting Hernández struggled to hit for average and struck out at a high rate when he first joined the Jays back then, until he finally evolved into the slugging machine he is now today. Varsho has the added bonus in that his defence is miles ahead of Hernández, so if he can get his bat to slowly round into form, he will be an unstoppable force on both sides of the field.