Toronto Blue Jays Make Intriguing Trade with Eye Toward 2027

The Toronto Blue Jays, one of the most active teams in advance of Monday's trade deadline (6 p.m. ET), made another move in the afternoon, acquiring starting pitcher Spencer Arrighetti from the Houston Astros for outfielder Dalton Varsho.

Mitch Bannon of 'The Athletic' had the news on social media, and it was relayed by Bob Nightengale of USA Today.

Seeing Varsho moved is not a surprise, as we speculated he was a trade candidate for weeks. He's in the final year of his contract, making him a clear and obvious fit for a trade.

In addition to trading Varsho, the Blue Jays also dealt Kevin Gausman to the Chicago Cubs, signaling a seller's mindset. Toronto enters play on Monday at 52-60 and 4.5 games back of the third and final wild card spot in the American League.

However, things might not be as bad as they seem for Jays fans. The team acquired Josh Smith from the Texas Rangers, who is an immediate plug-and-play option in the absence of Varsho, and it also acquired Jose Soriano, who is a clear win on the pitching front as a replacement for Gausman. He's under team control through 2028.

In acquiring Arrighetti, the Blue Jays have made another intriguing move that can help both now, and in the future.

The 26-year-old Arrighetti is a three-year veteran of the Astros who has gone 15-23 for his career with a 4.66 ERA. This year? He's 7-5 with a 4.60 ERA, having struck out 87 batters in 88.0 innings.

If the Blue Jays continue to sell off expiring contracts like Shane Bieber and/or Max Scherzer, Arrighetti could fill-in for the rest of this season in the rotation. He can also help keep their limited playoff hopes alive.

Under contract through 2029, he's also an option for the future rotation.

As of now: Soriano, Dylan Cease, Trey Yesavage and Cody Ponce figure to be locked into 2027 rotation slots. Arrighetti will battle for the No. 5 spot with guys like Bowden Francis, Jake Bloss, Ricky Tiedemann, and any one else that the Blue Jays elect to bring in over the offseason.

Of course, the offseason figures to be truncated because of expected labor issues related to the Collective Bargaining Agreement.

The Blue Jays and Astros are playing each other on Monday in Houston, so Varsho just has to switch clubhouses and he'll be able to play against his old teammates.

He spent parts of three seasons with the Blue Jays, hitting 18 homers in 2024 and 20 in 2025.

First pitch is set for 8:10 p.m. ET.