Toronto Blue Jays

The Arizona Diamondbacks are trading outfielder Daulton Varsho to the Toronto Blue Jays for top prospect Gabriel Moreno and more, according to ESPN's Jeff Passan.

Arizona will also receive outfielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr. in the deal, per USA Today's Bob Nightengale.

Varsho, 26, spent the first three seasons of his MLB career in Arizona.

During the 2022 campaign, Varsho spent much of his time playing in center and right field. However, he's pretty versatile and can also play catcher. In 151 games, he slashed .235/.302/.443 with 27 home runs, 74 RBI and 16 stolen bases.

The Blue Jays were in need of some outfield help this offseason, especially after trading Teoscar Hernández to the Seattle Mariners.

Gurriel was Toronto's starting left fielder, but now that he's off to Arizona, Varsho will likely take over that position with Kevin Kiermaier in center field and George Springer in right field.

Varsho is under contract through 2026, and he figures to be a key piece for the Blue Jays moving forward.

Gurriel had spent the first five years of his career in Toronto. In 2022, he hit .291/.343/.400 with five home runs and 52 RBI in 121 games. While he's been a solid player for much of his career, he's not the reason the Diamondbacks decided to give up Varsho.

Arizona parted with Varsho to receive one of the best prospects in baseball in Moreno, who was listed as Toronto's top prospect by Baseball America.

The catcher spent much of his time with Triple-A Buffalo in 2022, hitting .315/.386/.420 with three home runs and 39 RBI in 62 games. The Venezuelan also appeared in 25 games for the Blue Jays in 2022, slashing .319/.356/.377 with one home run and seven RBI.

At just 22 years old, Moreno could emerge as one of the best catchers in baseball by the time he hits his prime.

Veteran starting pitching Chris Bassitt has agreed to a three-year, $63 million deal with the Toronto Blue Jays, according to ESPN's Jeff Passan.

Bassitt joins an already strong starting rotation that features Alek Manoah, Kevin Gausman and José Berríos. The Blue Jays are clearly looking to close the seven-game gap that separated them from the first-place New York Yankees in the American League East.

The New York Mets landed the best arm on the free-agent market when they signed Max Scherzer following the 2021 season. They didn't stop there in addressing their starting rotation and acquired Bassitt from the Oakland Athletics for pitching prospects J.T. Ginn and Adam Oller.

Adding the right-hander looked even more shrewd in retrospect. Jacob deGrom didn't make his 2022 debut until August due to shoulder trouble, and Scherzer missed nearly two months because of an oblique injury.

Bassitt didn't quite match the level that sent him to the 2021 All-Star Game, but he did provide a steady presence for New York on the mound. In 30 appearances, he went 15-9 with a 3.42 ERA and a 3.66 FIP. He also averaged 8.27 strikeouts per nine innings and 2.43 walks per nine.

The 33-year-old led the Mets in innings pitched (181.2) and was third on the staff in WAR (2.7), per FanGraphs.

Bassitt didn't have overwhelming velocity, but he kept opposing hitters on their toes with his six-pitch arsenal. According to Baseball Savant, he ranked in the 95th percentile in average exit velocity (85.7 mph) and 88th in hard-hit rate (32.8).

Bleacher Report's Joel Reuter ranked the Toledo, Ohio, native as the fifth-best starting pitcher in the 2023 free-agent class: "His overall numbers were not as strong as some of the others ranked lower than him on this list, but his long track record of recent success makes it far easier to bank on him continuing to pitch at a high level in 2023 and beyond."

Mets fans still scarred by the Wilpon era may still have reservations about team owner Steve Cohen and whether he's willing to keep spending to bring a World Series title to Flushing.

Cohen continued to address those concerns by handing Edwin Díaz a five-year, $102 million contract almost as soon as the offseason began. Justin Verlander subsequently signed for $86.7 million over two years.

In the case of Bassitt, it wasn't going to take a contract of that magnitude to bring him back, but this franchise is already on track to have one of MLB's biggest payrolls. The front office doesn't have a limitless well of money to spend on free agents.

The Mets' loss is the Blue Jays' gain.

It appears that the Pittsburgh Pirates may move outfielder Bryan Reynolds this offseason. The 28-year-old has requested a trade, though Pittsburgh has publicly pushed back against the idea of trading him.

"While it is disappointing, this will have zero impact on our decision-making this offseason or in the future," the Pirates said in a statement, per Jay Cohen of the Associated Press.

Pittsburgh's stance could quickly change, however. Reynolds doesn't have a long-term deal in place, and he is drawing interest in the trade market.

The New York Yankees were interested, according to Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:

First tidbit from the lobby, per an industry source, is that the Yankees are “very much” in on Bryan Reynolds. “They’re on it.” … Not exactly breaking news that there’s significant interest in the Pirates outfielder.

— Jason Mackey (@JMackeyPG) December 5, 2022

Absolutely no one should be surprised by New York's reported interest. However, it has probably gone out the window over the last 24 hours.

New York likely viewed Reynolds as a Plan B in the outfield in case it couldn't re-sign reigning home-run king Aaron Judge. According to Jon Heyman of the New York Post, the San Francisco Giants had a huge offer, "believed to be [in the] $360M neighborhood," on the table for Judge.

San Francisco's offer was likely reason enough for New York to consider alternatives.

However, on Wednesday morning, news broke that Judge had agreed to a new deal with the Yankees. The news was first reported by MLB Network's Jon Morosi and confirmed by The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal.

Source confirms: Aaron Judge in agreement with Yankees, nine years, $360M. First: @JonMorosi.

— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) December 7, 2022

With New York almost certainly out of the mix, the Toronto Blue Jays become the most logical landing spot for Reynolds in a trade. Toronto is looking to build off of last year's 92-win campaign, and Reynolds is exactly the sort of up-and-coming star it could build around long-term.

According to Morosi, the Blue Jays are interested in making a deal:

The #BlueJays are a team to watch in the Bryan Reynolds market. They have interest in him and want to add an athletic switch hitter to their outfield. Based on strong industry interest, Jays would likely need to include Tiedemann or Martínez to have high offer. @MLBNetwork @MLB

— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) December 5, 2022

As Morosi noted, a strong offer from Toronto may have to include the likes of pitching prospect Ricky Tiedemann and infielder Orelvis Martinez. Parting with two young prospects would be difficult, but neither Tiedemann nor Martínez is well-positioned to make an impact this season.

Reynolds could make an immediate impact. He's a strong outfielder and solid at the plate. An All-Star in 2021, he finished this past season with a .262 batting average, 27 home runs and 62 RBI.

According to Morosi, the Blue Jays are looking for a hitter who can switch at the plate. Reynolds can do exactly that.

The other factor to consider is Reynolds' contract. He's due to earn just $6.75 million this season on an arbitration extension, according to Spotrac. That's low enough that Toronto could hypothetically add Reynolds and still chase one of the big-name free agents remaining on the market—perhaps a pitcher.

Noted sports agent Scott Boras recently spoke with Hazel Mae and Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet to discuss Toronto's offseason priorities.

"I think their priority right now is to try to facilitate an advance on the offence,” Boras said. “As to what they"re going to do on pitching, I think they want to achieve (offensive upgrades) first."

Adding Reynolds could help upgrade the offense while leaving enough financial flexibility to approach the pitching market—a free-agent pool that still includes Carlos Rodón, Zack Greinke and Corey Kluber.

The big unknown is whether Pittsburgh is willing to accept a fair offer for Reynolds. It might hold out for an unreasonable trade package, or it could yet smooth things over and lock him up long-term. If the Pirates are willing to make a fair trade, though, adding Reynolds absolutely makes sense for the Blue Jays.

Former National League MVP Cody Bellinger will likely be with a new team in 2023.

Per Jon Heyman of the New York Post and MLB Network, a reunion between Bellinger and the Los Angeles Dodgers appears "unlikely" now, with multiple teams, including the Toronto Blue Jays, interested in the two-time All-Star.

Coming off two disappointing seasons, the Dodgers decided to non-tender Bellinger rather than pay more than $20 million he likely would have been owed through arbitration in 2023.

The move made Bellinger one of the most intriguing free agents available, though one with significant risk. It's been three years since he was named NL MVP and two years since he was even a league-average hitter.

Since the start of 2021, though, Bellinger has been the sixth-worst outfielder in Major League Baseball by FanGraphs' wins above replacement with a minimum of 900 plate appearances (0.7). He has the second-worst offensive value among all outfielders during that span (minus-27.8).

Bellinger has a .193/.256/.355 slash line with 29 homers in 239 games over the past two seasons.

Injuries have hindered Bellinger during this two-year down period. He had surgery in November 2020 after he dislocated his shoulder celebrating a homer in Game 7 of the NLCS against the Atlanta Braves.

Bellinger was ready for the start of the 2021 season, but he played in four games before suffering a hairline fracture in his left tibia when Oakland Athletics reliever Reymin Guduan accidentally cleated him on a close play at first base.

There were no known injury issues for Bellinger last season. He played in 144 games, but the problems from the previous year may have impacted his swing mechanics.

This is the story that interested teams should be telling themselves. Bellinger's agent, Scott Boras, told The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal they have received multiyear offers but will most likely take a one-year deal with the hope of rebuilding his value to hit the market again in 2023.

Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post previously reported that the Colorado Rockies have an interest in Bellinger on a one-year deal.

It's a calculated risk by Bellinger and Boras, but one with the potential to pay off hugely if he gets back to peak form. He hit .278/.369/.559 and averaged 37 homers per season from 2017 to 2019.

The Blue Jays created an opening in their lineup by trading Teoscar Hernández to the Seattle Mariners. Bellinger could be a natural replacement for him, especially for a team looking to overtake the New York Yankees atop the American League East.

A pair of AL East rivals could be facing off for All-Star Bryan Reynolds.

According to multiple reports, the Toronto Blue Jays and New York Yankees both have interest in trading for the veteran outfielder:

The #BlueJays are a team to watch in the Bryan Reynolds market. They have interest in him and want to add an athletic switch hitter to their outfield. Based on strong industry interest, Jays would likely need to include Tiedemann or Martínez to have high offer. @MLBNetwork @MLB

— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) December 5, 2022

First tidbit from the lobby, per an industry source, is that the Yankees are “very much” in on Bryan Reynolds. “They’re on it.” … Not exactly breaking news that there’s significant interest in the Pirates outfielder.

— Jason Mackey (@JMackeyPG) December 5, 2022

Rob Biertempfel of The Athletic added that the Miami Marlins and Boston Red Sox are also "known to have interest."

I do know that the #Rockies like Bryan Reynolds, but so do a lot of other teams. The ask could be steep by the #Pirates.

— Patrick Saunders (@psaundersdp) December 3, 2022

Reynolds became one of the offseason's most intriguing targets when he requested a trade ahead of MLB's winter meetings.

"While it is disappointing, this will have zero impact on our decision-making this offseason or in the future," the Pittsburgh Pirates said in a statement on Saturday. "Our goal is to improve the Pirates for 2023 and beyond. With three years until he hits free agency, Bryan remains a key member of our team. We look forward to him having a great season for the Pirates."

So it's entirely possible Reynolds remains in Pittsburgh next season. But if the team does field offers, it should be able to bring back an attractive trade package.

Reynolds, 27, hit .262 with 27 homers, 62 RBI, 74 runs and a .807 OPS in 145 games. It was a solid season, though a bit of a step back after his 2021 All-Star campaign (.302 with 24 homers, 90 RBI, 93 runs and a .912 OPS).

For teams in need of an upgrade in the outfield, Reynolds—who has largely been a center fielder in his career but has some playing time in the corner outfield spots as well—would be a logical target.

Reynolds could allow Toronto to move George Springer to right field while giving the team more lineup balance as a switch-hitter. After trading former right fielder Teoscar Hernández to the Seattle Mariners, the Blue Jays have a need in the outfield. Reynolds would check a lot of boxes.

For the Yankees, meanwhile, Reynolds is a potential contingency plan if they lose Aaron Judge in free agency, ostensibly to his favorite team from childhood, the San Francisco Giants. The Yankees could also look to make a splashy move in free agency if Judge departs, though those options are dwindling with players like Trea Turner, Justin Verlander and Jacob deGrom already off the market.

Japanese free-agent pitcher Koudai Senga has drawn interest from the Los Angeles Angels, Boston Red Sox and Toronto Blue Jays, according to Jon Morosi of MLB Network.

The soon-to-be 30-year-old had a 1.89 ERA across 23 appearances for the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks last season in Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball. Across 11 professional seasons, he has a 2.42 ERA in 275 games while averaging 10.0 strikeouts per nine innings.

He filed for international free agency in October and has become one of the top players still available on the market.

Michael Mayer of Metsmerized provided a breakdown of Senga's repertoire:

Kodai Senga has been up to 102 mph, throws a ghost forkball, slider, curve & cutter. 1.89 ERA in 148 innings this year.

Senga’s agent noted Kodai would like to play in a big market on a win now team and is versed in/wants to learn more about analytics.

pic.twitter.com/EUd4RmxucB

— Mike Mayer (@mikemayer22) November 14, 2022

Scouts also got a chance to see him against American hitters as he helped Japan beat the United States in the gold medal game at the 2020 Olympics.

Senga is drawing significant interest around the majors, with the Angels hoping to pair him with fellow Japanese star Shohei Ohtani. The Red Sox could offer Senga a major market, while the Blue Jays could be close to contention after finishing 90-72 last season.

These teams will still have to compete with others who have already made a move for Senga.

Morosi previously reported the Red Sox and New York Yankees had already spoken with Senga's representatives, while the New York Mets and San Diego Padres met with the pitcher himself, per Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. The Chicago Cubs have also monitored him, per Patrick Mooney and Sahadev Sharma of The Athletic.

With aces Jacob deGrom and Justin Verlander already signed, it could force teams to be more aggressive in pursuing Senga.

Toronto Blue Jays star Alek Manoah called out Gerrit Cole in a video published Monday, reviving accusations of cheating during the latter's career.

Appearing on Serge Ibaka's How Hungry Are You? (starts at 11:19 mark), Manoah named the New York Yankees ace for his alleged use of sticky substances in response to a question about "the worst cheater" in Major League Baseball history.

"He cheated," Manoah said. "He used a lot of, like, sticky stuff to make his pitches better. And he kinda got called out on it."

This isn't the first time a fellow player has accused Cole of using sticky substances to improve his arsenal.

Josh Donaldson, who is now Cole's teammate, threw out an accusation while speaking to The Athletic's Dan Hayes in June 2021.

"Is it coincidence that Gerrit Cole's spin rate numbers went down [Thursday] after four minor leaguers got suspended for 10 games?" Donaldson said. "Is that possible? I don't know. Maybe. At the same time, with this situation, they've let guys do it."

Donaldson was referencing four minor league pitchers who were suspended for using foreign substances during games.

In response to the accusation, Cole didn't deny that he had used something on the grounds of "customs and practices that have been passed down from older players to younger players."

here's gerrit cole's response when asked point blank if he has ever used spider tack, one of the sticky substances baseball is looking to crack down on pic.twitter.com/rKFOksIDoW

— Matthew Roberson (@mroberson22) June 8, 2021

Midway through the 2021 season, MLB did increase its efforts to crack down on pitchers' use of substances during games. Umpires now check a pitcher in between innings or if they get removed from a game to make sure they are on the up and up. Starting pitchers usually get checked multiple times per game.

Per Baseball Savant, the spin rates on Cole's fastball, curveball and changeup have decreased in each of the past three seasons. His fastball went from a peak of 2,530 rpm in 2019 to 2,505 in 2020, 2,452 in 2021 and 2,428 in 2022.

Cole's slider did tick up from 2,582 rpm in 2020 to 2,600 in 2021, but it dropped to 2,569 last season.

Of course, declining spin rates don't necessarily mean Cole was using a substance and stopped when MLB began enforcing its rules. It could be a natural function of aging and arm speed, as he's now 32 years old.

If nothing else, Manoah's comments will add fuel to the Blue Jays-Yankees rivalry as the two teams prepare to fight it out in the American League East next season.

The Seattle Mariners are banking on a bounce-back season from 2021 All-Star Teoscar Hernandez.

Per ESPN's Jeff Passan, the Mariners have acquired the 30-year-old outfielder from the Toronto Blue Jays. Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times reported the Mariners will deal relief pitcher Erik Swanson and pitching prospect Adam Macko in exchange for Hernandez.

Swanson will provide a boost to Toronto's bullpen. The right-hander was excellent with a 1.68 ERA, 70 strikeouts and just three homers allowed over 53.2 innings in 57 appearances last season.

FanGraphs' Eric Longenhagen ranked Macko as the 10th-best prospect in Seattle's farm system last season. The 21-year-old left-hander was a seventh-round draft pick in 2019. He struck out 60 with a 3.99 ERA in 38.1 innings in High-A but didn't pitch after May 21 with an unspecified injury.

The 2022 season was disappointing for Hernandez. He hit .267/.316/.491 with 25 homers and 77 RBI in 131 games. His 127 OPS+ was the third-highest mark of his career in a full season, but it was a step down from the previous two years.

In 193 games in 2020 and 2021, Hernandez had a .295/.345/.538 slash line with 84 extra-base hits. He made the American League All-Star team in 2021 and set career highs in homers (32) and RBI (116).

While he's coming off a down year, it's surprising to see a Blue Jays team with playoff aspirations move on from Hernandez without an obvious replacement in place. He is entering the final season of arbitration with a projected salary of $14.5 million, per Spotrac.

Adding Hernandez allows the Mariners to tinker with their outfield and designated hitter rotations. Newly minted AL Rookie of the Year Julio Rodriguez will continue to handle center field.

Jesse Winker in left field has been a below-average defender throughout their career. Winker had the ninth-worst defensive value rating among qualified players in 2022 (minus-12.8), per FanGraphs.

Mitch Haniger, who was Seattle's primary starter in right field, is a free agent. The acquisition of Hernandez would seem to indicate the Mariners are moving on from Haniger.

Hernandez can play both corner outfield spots, though he's also been below-average with the glove for most of his career. He has been an above-average hitter over the past five seasons with the Blue Jays. This is a great buy-low acquisition for a Mariners team looking to build after ending a 21-year playoff drought last season.

After taking over as interim manager midway through the 2022 season, John Schneider has been named full-time skipper for the Toronto Blue Jays.

The Blue Jays announced on Friday that Schneider has agreed to terms on a three-year deal with a team option for 2026.

In a press release from the club, Schneider issued a statement expressing his excitement to continue as Toronto's manager:

"This organization has made me feel at home since day one. So many people have had a hand in helping me get here, and becoming Manager of the Blue Jays is not something I take lightly. My family and I love Toronto and I can’t wait to build upon an already great group of players and bring a World Series back to all our fans across Canada."

Schneider has spent his entire career in the Blue Jays organization. The former catcher was drafted by the club in the 13th round in 2002 and played six seasons in the minors before retiring after the 2007 season because of injuries.

Following his retirement, the Blue Jays kept Schneider as a coach. He managed their rookie-level Gulf Coast League team in 2008 and continued to move up through the minors. The New Jersey native had managerial stints with the Vancouver Canadians, Lansing Lugnuts, Dunedin Blue Jays and New Hampshire Fisher Cats.

When the Blue Jays hired Charlie Montoyo to manage the MLB club in November 2018, Schneider was added to his staff. He was promoted to bench coach prior to the 2022 season.

After Montoyo was fired July 13, the Blue Jays named Schneider their interim manager for the rest of the season. The 42-year-old led the club to a 46-28 record and the No. 1 wild card in the American League.

Toronto was swept in the AL Wild Card Series by the Seattle Mariners. This was the second postseason appearance for the Blue Jays in the past three seasons. They have won at least 91 games in each of the previous two seasons.