The Toronto Blue Jays completed a significant trade that came down to the wire just ahead of Thursday’s deadline, acquiring reliever Louis Varland and infielder Ty France from the Minnesota Twins.
Going the other way are outfielder Alan Roden and pitching prospect Kendry Rojas.
Varland, 27, headlines the deal for Toronto, a hard-throwing reliever who addresses the bullpen in a meaningful way. The Minnesota native pitched to a 2.02 ERA in 49 innings with the Twins, with 47 strikeouts and 13 walks. Varland’s 1.8 bWAR (Wins Above Replacement) was fifth on the Twins at the time of the trade.
Varland’s fastball averages 98 mph, and he also effectively uses a knuckle curveball and sinker.
Unlike a few of Toronto’s other recent additions, notably Seranthony Dominguez and Shane Bieber, the 27-year-old Varland is under team control until 2031 and is arbitration eligible in 2027. He will join a new-look bullpen that includes Jeff Hoffman, Dominguez, Brendon Little, Yariel Rodriguez, Braydon Fisher and Mason Fluharty, with Yimi Garcia and Nick Sandlin both on the injured list.
France, 31, primarily a first baseman, has bounced around a few different teams in recent years. He slashed .251/.320/.357 with a .678 OPS across 101 games with the Twins this season, hitting six home runs and 19 doubles, which was tied for first on the team.
France’s best season came in 2021 with the Seattle Mariners, when he hit 18 home runs and 73 RBIs with a slash line of .291/.368/.445 and an OPS of .813. France hit 20 home runs and 83 RBIs — both career highs — with the Mariners in 2022, earning his lone All-Star nod.
The right-handed batting France is expected to play mostly against left-handed pitchers, general manager Ross Atkins said on Thursday.
France will be a free agent at season’s end. Both Varland and France are expected to be with the team for Friday’s home game against the Kansas City Royals.
Blue Jays deal from depth, keeping top prospects
Roden, 25, made his major-league debut this season following a torrid spring, earning a spot on the Blue Jays’ initial roster. He appeared in 43 games, hitting .204/.283/.306 with a .589 OPS, five doubles, one home run and eight RBIs.
Roden had more success in Triple-A with Buffalo, hitting .331/.423/.496 with a .918 OPS with three home runs, 18 RBIs and nine doubles in 32 games with the Bisons. He was drafted by the Blue Jays in the third round of the 2022 MLB Draft out of Creighton University.
Rojas, 22, was considered one of Toronto’s top 10 prospects. Signed as an international free agent out of Cuba, the young southpaw has battled some injuries in recent seasons but was pitching well at the time of the trade, recently earning his first promotion to Triple-A.
He’s pitched to a 3.46 ERA across 41 2/3 minor-league innings this season, with 62 strikeouts and only nine walks.
The four-player deal capped off a busy day for Toronto and Atkins, with other notable trades including Will Wagner to San Diego for catching prospect Brandon Valenzuela and the aforementioned Bieber acquisition from Cleveland.
The Blue Jays enter Friday’s game with a 64-46 record and a three-and-a-half-game lead over the New York Yankees for first place in the American League East division. Kevin Gausman is expected to start for Toronto, matching up against Michael Wacha of the Royals.
