The Athletic has live coverage of the 2026 MLB Trade Deadline.The tradeAstros get: OF Daulton Varsho
Blue Jays get: RHP Spencer ArrighettiAstros knock out two needs with one playerAstros: A-
Blue Jays: C-My initial reaction was to flip these grades and give the Blue Jays the higher score, but I’ve come around to the Astros’ side. Varsho is undoubtedly better than the rotating cast of characters the Astros have been using in center field this season, and their recent surge meant they owed it to themselves to address their outfield weakness. Varsho was probably the best center fielder on the market, and the Astros went out and got him. The Astros also needed a left-handed hitter, and Varsho does that, too. It’s a good fit.As for the Blue Jays, the return is fine but not exciting. Arrighetti is a solid back-end starter who will reach arbitration eligibility this offseason. That’s better than holding onto Varsho, who’s about to be a free agent, but it doesn’t move the needle.
— Chad JenningsSaying goodbye to a tantalizing enigmaAstros: B
Blue Jays: B-Well, the Astros addressed one need that has been glaring since before spring training: the outfield. Sort of. While Varsho — a Gold Glove winner in 2024 — is a defensive upgrade, his offensive output this year hasn’t been up to his career standard. His .375 slugging percentage is a career low, if you don’t count his 37-game debut season in 2020 (though I guess you should; that was still more than half the truncated season).In landing Varsho, the Astros subtracted from another area of need: starting pitching. On Sunday, Chandler Rome reported that Astros owner Jim Crane had “instructed Houston’s front office not to trade from its major-league roster.”That apparently didn’t extend to the injured list, where Arrighetti has been since July 25 with right foot irritation.Arrighetti has been a tantalizing pitching enigma in Houston over the last three years. The same guy who racked up double-digit strikeouts four times in his rookie season (2024) has only done it once since (in April of this year, against the Rockies).He’s under team control through 2029, so it’s a perfectly acceptable return for an expiring contract, and it tracks with the rest of the moves Toronto has made this year: not a rebuild, just a reload. As for Houston, I’d be surprised if the Astros don’t add a pitcher to take Arrighetti’s place before the next hour is up. — Levi Weaver
