Daulton Varsho is heading to the Astros

As the trade deadline approached, the Blue Jays had players to trade. The team has given up on the 2026 season, and even though it acquired players who can help in the years ahead, trading its up-and-coming free agents made sense.

Kevin Gausman was traded yesterday, and we suspected Daulton Varsho would be traded today.

And now it's official: Varsho has been traded to the Houston Astros. And since the Blue Jays are already in Houston, it won't be long before he can join his new team.

In return, the Blue Jays have acquired Spencer Arrighetti. He's a 26-year-old starting pitcher with Major League experience, having made 52 career starts in MLB (including 17 this season).

However, he is currently on the injured list.

The return, in fact, is quite interesting for the Jays. Arrighetti is under the team's control through 2030, and even though he hasn't had a ton of success in the Majors (his career ERA is 4.66), he could make a contribution in the years to come.

The Jays' plan today was clearly to add pitching that can help in the years ahead. Jose Soriano was the big acquisition, and Josh Stephan—to a lesser extent—also fills that need, as does Arrighetti.

We know Varsho isn't having a great season, but he'll have the chance to turn things around in Houston. His defense in center field will help, and we know there's power in his bat.

Meanwhile, the team will try to make Arrighetti a key part of its future on the mound. We'll see how that turns out.

• Dustin May and JoJo Romero to Milwaukee.

• Luke Weaver is headed to Pittsburgh.

• Braxton Garrett and Ryan Zeferjahn: pitching reinforcements for the Cubs.

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