The majority of the players the Toronto Blue Jays traded away at the MLB trade deadline are struggling with their new clubs.
The Blue Jays made a series of trades at the deadline as they both sold some of their assets while picking up a few longer-term pieces in a hybrid deadline approach by Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins.
So far, it looks like the Blue Jays have won these trades, as the players they dealt away are mostly struggling while the ones who they picked up in deals have been mostly good.
Former Blue Jays Struggling
As Sportsnet noted, former Blue Jays ace Kevin Gausman has really been struggling with the Chicago Cubs.
Gausman has started 7 games for Chicago with a 5.31 ERA for the team, good for a -0.2 bWAR. The Cubs likely hoped for a much better start to Gausman’s Cubs career, but it has been a struggle so far for him.
The good news for the Cubs is that they are going to the postseason, and Gausman does his best work when the lights are bright. So even though Gausman has been pitching poorly for Chicago, if he turns things up in the postseason, then trading for him will have been worth it.
However, giving up outfielder Brett Bateman, who has been incredible for the Blue Jays, in exchange for Gausman, is not looking like a great deal for the Cubs right now, while Atkins is looking like a genius for making that deal for Toronto.
Another former Blue Jays player who is struggling with his new club is Daulton Varsho, the Houston Astros‘ center fielder who is batting just .193 with a .600 OPS and a 69 OPS+, indicating his bat has been 31% below league average.
As long as Varsho’s defense in center field is strong and he runs into a long ball from time to time, the Astros are likely happy with the deal. But they likely expected better from Varsho, though the player they gave up for him, Spencer Arrighetti, has been terrible for the Blue Jays.
Finally, Adam Macko has been struggling in relief for the Texas Rangers, with a 5.68 ERA in 5 appearances for his new team. Meanwhile, utilityman Josh Smith has been amazing for Toronto, hitting 5 home runs in 21 games with a 1.001 OPS and a 170 OPS+ in 41 at-bats.
Jeff Hoffman Pitching Well for Minnesota
One of the players the Blue Jays dealt away at the deadline, reliever Jeff Hoffman, has been fine for the Minnesota Twins.
In 13 relief appearances for the Twins, Hoffman has a 3.00 ERA with a 0.2 bWAR. He has also racked up 17 strikeouts in just 12 innings for the Twins, who have Hoffman under contract for one more season beyond this one.
It’s also worth noting that infield prospect Arjun Nimmala has been hitting well for the Los Angeles Angels‘ Double-A team, the Rocket City Trash Pandas, as he has hit 5 home runs in 24 games with a 128 wRC+, while pitcher Jose Soriano has done well for Toronto, making this look like it could be a win-win trade for both clubs.
Blue Jays Players Traded at Deadline Struggling With New Clubs