There are two immediate takeaways from the Toronto Blue Jays’ acquisition of Jesús Sánchez from the Houston Astros for fellow outfielder Joey Loperfido: One, they’re very comfortable creating depth by building surplus into the big-league roster; And two, the Competitive Balance Tax thresholds are of minimal hindrance to their ambitions.
Those two factors, along with several others, made Friday morning’s trade an intriguing one. A transaction that is sure to shift initial plans of how the pieces already in place fit together.
General manager Ross Akins, speaking shortly after the deal was announced, described the 28-year-old Sanchez, who is earning $6.8 million this year and won’t be eligible for free agency until after the 2027 season, “as one of our better options against right-handed pitching on a very regular basis,” whose “power is real.”
With Daulton Varsho essentially locked into centre, that puts Sanchez, primarily a right-fielder over parts of six seasons in the majors, into one of the corners, where fellow left-handed hitters Addison Barger and Nathan Lukes and the right-handed Myles Straw and Davis Schneider were lined up for the bulk of playing time.
The Blue Jays had what appeared to be a logjam in the outfield cleared when Anthony Santander underwent shoulder surgery that will sideline him for five to six months. But adding Sanchez to the mix rebuilds the surplus, giving manager John Schneider more options to mix and match, and the club protection in the event of injury or underperformance.
“It’s going to just make us better,” said Atkins. “I could see outfields where we have three left-handed hitting outfielders and Addison’s playing in the infield, so that versatility just adds options for us and makes our 26-man extremely strong.”
The cost of doing that is Loperfido, one of the pieces acquired in the Yusei Kikuchi 2024 deadline deal with Houston, and the money owed to Sanchez, which pushes the Blue Jays right to, or over, the final $304-million luxury-tax line.
The willingness to go there for Sanchez underlines how, at this point, even a 60 per cent overage charge won’t prevent further additions.
