The Phillies are interested in Blue Jays outfielder Daulton Varsho, reports Jon Heyman of The New York Post. Earlier today, Jon Morosi of MLB Network reported that the two clubs are emerging as potential trade partners, mentioning that Varsho, Kevin Gausman, Shane Bieber, Jeff Hoffman and George Springer could be fits for the Phils. Jeff Passan of ESPN reports that the Jays aren’t willing to move Louis Varland but are open to offers on relievers Hoffman, Tyler Rogers, Mason Fluharty and Spencer Miles.
The Jays are sputtering through a disappointing season on the heels of just missing a title in 2025. They have the fewest runs scored in all of baseball, which has led to a 50-59 record. That only puts them 5.5 games back of a playoff spot in a weak American League field but they would have to leapfrog six teams in order to get into playoff position. FanGraphs puts their Playoff Odds at 7.1%. The PECOTA Standings at Baseball Prospectus are only slightly more bullish at 9.1%.
Toronto will presumably look to return to contention next season, as they are committed to a core consisting of Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Alejandro Kirk, Dylan Cease, Kazuma Okamoto, Trey Yesavage and others, but selling some short-term pieces makes sense in what is likely a lost season.
Varsho, Gausman, Bieber and Springer are impeding free agents. Varsho is not having his best year but is still a serviceable player. He flashed the power last year. Despite only making 271 plate appearances due to injury, he hit 20 bombs. This year, he has stepped to the plate 354 times. He has significantly reduced his strikeouts but only has seven home runs. His .247/.308/.383 line leads to a subpar 93 wRC+.
There have also been setbacks defensively. Last year, he racked up ten Defensive Runs Saved and nine Outs Above Average in just 550 1/3 center field innings. He has logged 755 2/3 innings this year but with just four OAA, while DRS has him at exactly par.
FanGraphs has credited him with 1.2 wins above replacement this year, even in a relative down season. He was worth 2.2 fWAR last year despite missing significant time and was at 3.2 the year prior. He is making $10.75MM this year, which will leave a little over $3MM to be paid out at the deadline.
Despite the declining performance, he might be the best available center fielder. Luis Robert Jr. is also out there but he’s more expensive and hasn’t been in good form since 2023. Jake McCarthy is cheaper than Varsho and controllable but his glovework in center is more questionable and his offense has been up-and-down. It’s up this year but fuelled by a .336 batting average on balls in play and significant home/road splits, so he might be a Coors Field beneficiary. Lane Thomas is a short-side platoon guy.
The Phillies could certainly use help in center. They gave the position to Justin Crawford this year but he hasn’t secured the job. He has poor defensive metrics and a .257/.306/.339 batting line, which translates to a 77 wRC+. Varsho would be a clear upgrade. Crawford could be bumped to a fourth outfielder role or sent to the minors for regular at-bats down there.
Right field is also an issue with Adolis García out for the season. The Phils have been using a platoon of Gabriel Rincones Jr. and Bryan De La Cruz lately. Rincones has an awful .171/.207/.293 line. De La Cruz has an insanely good .571/.563/.857 line but in a sample of 16 plate appearances with a .700 BABIP. His career line of .253/.298/.406 is far less impressive.
Though they could look to upgrade on that duo, Springer would be a tough fit. He has hardly played the field at all this year, with just seven innings in left field. With the Phils having Kyle Schwarber as a full-time DH, Springer would need to put on his glove regularly. Springer also has full no-trade protection as a 10-and-5 guy, which could complicate talks.
Turning to the pitchers, the Phils are known to need help in both the rotation and bullpen. Andrew Painter didn’t succeed as hoped this year and has been sent to the minors. Aaron Nola has also struggled. Philly has an excellent front three of Zack Wheeler, Cristopher Sánchez and Jesús Luzardo but have been on the lookout for another starter.
Gausman or Bieber could fit, with both having strong track records but recent struggles. Gausman’s 4.51 ERA this year isn’t atrocious but has been inflated lately. He had a 3.41 through his first 15 starts but has a 7.27 ERA in his last seven. There’s some bad luck in the latter sample, with a .381 BABIP and 56.1% strand rate. His 4.49 FIP and 4.60 SIERA in that span suggest he hasn’t been too bad. The Phils could bet on the résumé and hope Gausman bounces back. He is making $23MM this year, which will leave just under $7MM to be paid out after the deadline. He has an eight-team no-trade clause but the Phils aren’t one of the eight.
Bieber comes with even more uncertainty. Tommy John surgery wiped out most of his 2024 and 2025 seasons. He did have a solid return late last year but continued arm issues kept him on the IL for the first half of 2026. His seven starts this year have been a real mixed bag. His first four were shaky, with a 7.64 ERA in those. He followed those up with two gems, allowing just one earned run over 13 innings. His most recent was a real dud, as he walked six of the nine batters he faced and couldn’t escape the first inning.
Add it all up and you get a 5.74 ERA with subpar strikeout and walks rates of 15.6% and 12.8%. Any club betting on Bieber would be wishing and hoping this is just a bit of rust after so much missed time and better days are around the corner. He is making $16MM this year, which will leave just under $5MM as the deadline draws near.
Hoffman is well known by the Phillies, as he pitched for them in 2023 and 2024. He did well enough to get a three-year, $33MM deal from the Jays. It’s been an up-and-down tenure with Toronto. He had strong strikeout and walk rates last year but struggles with the long ball, most infamously in Game Seven of the World Series. This year, he wobbled early and lost the closer’s job but has mostly been in good form since. Since the start of June, he has a 1.33 ERA with a 32.1% strikeout rate and 8.3% walk rate.
The Jays don’t need to move on from Hoffman. Unlike Varsho, Springer, Gausman and Bieber, he’s not a rental, as his deal goes through 2027. However, reliever prices tend to be highest around the deadline. Since the Jays have Varland in the closer’s role, perhaps they could sell Hoffman while he’s throwing the ball well, both to add prospects and save a bit of money that could be redirected to other players in the offseason. He’s making an $11MM salary both this year and next.
Rogers was just signed to a three-year, $37MM deal. He is having a good year, with a 1.69 ERA, but the Jays could look to cash him in regardless. Similar to Hoffman, a deal could allow the Jays to take advantage of the inflated reliever prices while freeing up some cash. Though they just signed Rogers, he is 35 years old and not a long-term core piece.
Trading Fluharty wouldn’t save any money since he’s still at least a year away from qualifying for arbitration but he is a soft-tossing lefty. He barely averages 90 miles per hour but has some decent results and would get interest from clubs in need of a cheap southpaw. Miles is a Rule 5 pick who has turned out far better than anyone could have expected. He has logged 69 innings in a swing role with a 3.26 ERA. He is controllable for five years after this one but has a lengthy injury history so perhaps the Jays would look to sell high. His Rule 5 restrictions would carry over to a new team for the rest of this season.
While trading some of these guys could net the Jays prospects and save them money, the inverse would be true of the Phillies. Their farm system isn’t well regarded, with Baseball America recently ranking them 29th, ahead of only the Padres. Their payroll is also already quite high, with MLBTR putting their competitive balance tax number at $318MM. That is well beyond the top tier of $304MM. As a repeat payor above the top line, they would face a 110% tax on any money they take on.
Perhaps they are willing to pay that price, since their competitive window might be getting a little tight. They have been very successful in recent years but their core is getting old. Schwarber, Nola, Trea Turner and Bryce Harper are all 33. J.T. Realmuto is 35. Wheeler is 36. They have been real aggressive in trying to win with that group and might keep doing it while they still have a chance.
Photo courtesy of Nick Turchiaro, Imagn Images
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