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Taking a look what the Blue Jays are getting in Spencer Arrighetti
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Photo credit: © Rafael Suanes-Imagn Images
Ryley Delaney
Aug 3, 2026, 17:00 EDTUpdated: Aug 3, 2026, 18:43 EDT
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The Toronto Blue Jays made a handful of trades toward the trade deadline.
One player on an expiring contract who was shipped out was Daulton Varsho, who was traded to the Houston Astros and will be in the lineup tonight. In return, the Blue Jays received starting pitcher Spencer Arrighetti.
There’s a lot to like about the 26-year-old righty, but what are the Blue Jays getting in him?

Getting to know Spencer Arrighetti

Arrighetti was drafted in the sixth round of the 2021 draft out of the University of Louisiana, Lafayette. By 2024, the Albuquerque, New Mexico product ranked as the third-best Astros’ prospects according to MLB Pipeline.
He also made his debut that year, starting 28 of the 29 games he appeared in. Overall, he finished his rookie campaign with a 4.53 ERA and 4.18 FIP in 145 innings pitched, with a 27.1 K% and 10.3 BB%.
Most of his 2025 season was wiped out due to a thumb injury, only appearing in seven games for the Astros with mediocre results. Over 35.1 innings of work, Arrighetti finished with a 5.35 ERA and 5.54 FIP, but more of a concern was his K% plummeting to 19.9%.
He’s rebounded in 2026, authoring a 4.60 ERA and 5.07 FIP over 88 innings of work, but his K% still only sits at 22.5% while his 13 BB% is a career-worst. Arrigetthi is currently on the 15-day injured list and should be back at some point in August, having been placed on it retroactive on July 24th.
The 26-year-old has shown promise as an effective big leaguer in the past. Back in 2024, he generated plenty of whiffs, and has limited hard contact in 2026. But this season, he’s only generated a league-average 25.4 whiff %, Moreover, his fastball velocity is down nearly 2 mph since 2024. 
Arrighetti has a vast pitch-mix, throwing a cutter 34% of the time, four-seam fastball 30% of the time, a sweeper 12% of the time, a sinker 10% of the time, a changeup 7% of the time, and a cutter 6% of the time.
There’s a lot to like in the tool box, but the Jays will have to find a way to help him lower his walk rate and pitch more effectively. If they can, he slots in well as a solid back-end-of-the rotation arm who has two option years remaining after this season, as well as a ton of years before he hits free agency.
Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for Blue Jays Nation, Oilersnation, and FlamesNation. She can be followed on Twitter @Ryley__Delaney.
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