Blue Jays' latest rumors open up Pirates trade opportunity for slugging outfielder

In quest to sign Roki Sasaki, the Blue Jays made a trade to acquire Myles Straw from the Guardians, along with international bonus pool money. They were unsuccessful, as Sasaki chose the Dodgers, but nonetheless, they acquired a defensive outfielder that won a Gold Glove a few seasons ago. Straw has been assigned to Double-A New Hampshire for now (confoundingly), but could provide elite defense as a fourth outfielder in Toronto - or as a caddy for a slugger who's less than adept with the glove.

Because the Straw trade might not complete the outfield, either. The Blue Jays and Anthony Santander have mutual interest according to Ben Nicholson-Smith. A deal is a possible to be done soon, which will make their outfield look very different.

Due to their outfield changing, this could open the door for the Pirates to swoop in and make a trade for a slugging outfielder who is currently recovering from shoulder surgery.

Pirates should look into a trade for Daulton Varsho after Blue Jays acquired Myles Straw and look to bring in Anthony Santander.

Varsho is one of the best defensive outfielders in the game roaming in center field. Oneil Cruz looks to have center field locked down, which could help the Pirates get Bryan Reynolds out of left field. Last season, Reynolds' defense in left was among the worst in baseball, so giving him a fresh start in right field may help the Pirates.

Additionally, Varsho brings some much needed power to the lineup, especially against right-handed pitching. Surprisingly, he actually had better all-around numbers against southpaws in a smaller quantity of at bats in 2024.

Last season against right-handers, Varsho belted 15 of his 18 home runs, batted .195 and put together a wRC+ of 90. He also struck out at a 29.6% clip and generated an OPS of .671. Against left-handers, his batting average reached .287 with a wRC+ of 134 and an OPS of .813. On top of that, his strikeout percentage dropped to just 15.4%.

Varsho could be an everyday player for the Pirates, and they do need an outfielder. His fielding run value of 17 ranked in the 100th percentile, his outs above average of 16 ranked in the 99th percentile, and he saved 28 defensive runs in the outfield. That defense helped his powerful bat to give him an fWAR of 3.3, which would have ranked third on the Pirates in 2024, behind Paul Skenes (4.3) and Cruz (3.5).

He also will not be a free agent until after the 2026 season. That means two years out of him, and after his pre-arbitration settlement, he will be owed $8.2 million for 2025. With the price of outfielders through free agency increasing (like Jesse Winker getting $7.5 million), Varsho seems like a steal, given all of the traits he brings to the Pirates. He's a flawed player, but also a clear upgrade. Toronto loves his defense, but if they return to their roots with Santander and decide to slug, they could be tempted.

Although the Blue Jays are looking to add to their major league roster, their farm system is among one of the worst in baseball. If they want to add some young pitching prospects to their system, then the Pirates would make sense as a trade partner. We will see what the Pirates do, as they have their sights on free agents like Alex Verdugo and Randal Grichuk, but getting a guy like Varsho would improve the team a ton.