After reaching the World Series with Toronto last season, Daulton Varsho resets to helping the Astros make a playoff push.
Leslie Plaza Johnson/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Daulton Varsho was hitting in the visitors’ cage at Daikin Park on Monday afternoon when he was called into Blue Jays manager John Schneider’s office. There, the center fielder learned he was being traded to the Houston Astros — just across the field.
Shortly after, Varsho walked the hallways in Houston’s ballpark to his new clubhouse and a team hoping he can lift an outfield lacking for production. He finished his pregame routine in the home cage, donned a white No. 18 jersey and prepared to face a Toronto side he’d called teammates hours before.
“Definitely a whirlwind,” Varsho said.
Article continues below this ad
One face offered familiarity amid his abrupt transition. Varsho, 30, played his first three seasons for the Arizona Diamondbacks as a teammate of now-Astros first baseman Christian Walker. He said that gave him “a little bit of a breather” in a new group even as “guys were welcoming” upon his arrival.
Further assurance came from a former Astros outfielder. Varsho played the past few seasons alongside George Springer, the Blue Jays designated hitter who spent seven years in Houston and offered a quick insight before Varsho made his short walk between clubhouses Monday.
“He told me, ‘You’re going to really enjoy it there,’ ” said Varsho, an impending free agent and a rental acquisition by an Astros team looking to improve its outfield and return to the playoffs.
Article continues below this ad
While acquiring Varsho for right-hander Spencer Arrighetti was the Astros’ only move before Monday’s trade deadline, the Blue Jays executed a flurry of deals, some involving veterans who were part of their team that reached the World Series just last year and fell in seven games to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Former Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Daulton Varsho answers a question during a news conference after being traded to the Houston Astros before their baseball game Monday, Aug. 3, 2026, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
David J. Phillip/Associated Press
Daulton Varsho of the Houston Astros singles during the first inning against the Toronto Blue Jays at Daikin Park on August 3, 2026 in Houston, Texas.
Alex Slitz/Getty Images
Daulton Varsho (18( of the Houston Astros looks on during the game between the Toronto Blue Jays and the Houston Astros at Daikin Park on Monday, August 3, 2026 in Houston, Texas.
Kairi Mano/MLB Photos via Getty Images
Daulton Varsho (18) of the Houston Astros bats during the game between the Toronto Blue Jays and the Houston Astros at Daikin Park on Monday, August 3, 2026 in Houston, Texas.
Kairi Mano/MLB Photos via Getty Images
Former Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Daulton Varsho becomes emotional while answering a question during a news conference after being traded to the Houston Astros before their baseball game Monday, Aug. 3, 2026, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
David J. Phillip/Associated Press
Former Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Daulton Varsho answers a question during a news conference after being traded to the Houston Astros before their baseball game Monday, Aug. 3, 2026, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
David J. Phillip/Associated Press
Toronto entered Monday with a 52-60 record and in last place in the AL East, creating the possibility of trading off pieces. Varsho said Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins was “pretty honest with me” that he could be moved if it netted Toronto a return that Atkins felt “will help our team for the future.”
The Blue Jays traded rotation cornerstone Kevin Gausman to the Cubs late Sunday night. But they then traded for Angels starter José Soriano early Monday, a move Varsho said indicated to him he might not be dealt.
“I was like, all right, they’re going to build for the future but also still try to win this year,” Varsho said. “But obviously, I got told in kind of a weird, awkward time of kind of getting ready for the day. But it’s just one of those things where it’s a business and you’ve got to kind of get over it.”
Article continues below this ad
Varsho, speaking in a press conference about two hours before he made his Astros debut, choked up at one point reflecting on his four seasons in Toronto and the players and coaches he encountered there. Acquired by the Blue Jays in a trade before the 2023 season for Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and Gabriel Moreno, Varsho burnished his defensive reputation in Toronto and won a Gold Glove in center field in 2024.
“This is a guy who has been here for a number of years and really was loved by his teammates, by all of us, the front office, the coaching staff,” Schneider said pregame. “He knows that. He came here as a little bit of a younger dude with something to prove and he’s leaving here with a kid and someone who was pretty deep-rooted in our clubhouse and our community, so that’s tough.”
The Astros will plug Varsho in as their everyday center fielder and hit him “in the middle” of the lineup, manager Joe Espada said. Varsho, a left-handed hitter, entered Monday with a career 97 OPS-plus. He had a .243/.307/.375 slash line and 86 OPS-plus in his 99 games for the Blue Jays this season, numbers below his career norms.
Houston entered Monday extracting the majors’ fourth-lowest OPS from its outfielders and the fewest plate appearances by left-handed hitters against right-handed pitching, a lack of balance Varsho helps address. General manager Dana Brown said the Astros see Varsho as “a plus defender with some upside to his bat” and felt they “added some wins to this team by getting a quality everyday center fielder.”
Article continues below this ad
Monday night, the Astros plugged Varsho immediately into the cleanup spot in the lineup. In his first at-bat, Varsho pulled a ground ball that glanced off the glove of Blue Jays first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr., for what was ruled an infield single. He finished 1-for-4 with a walk in the Astros’ 3-1 loss, which left them at 58-56 but still 2 ½ games up in the AL West.
“They’re excited,” Varsho said pregame. “So that’s the best part for me is I get to join a team that’s very excited to have me and I’m excited to be a part of it.”