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Blue Jays: Signing Daulton Varsho before the season begins needs to be a priority
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Photo credit: © Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images
Ryley Delaney
Mar 21, 2026, 10:15 EDTUpdated: Mar 21, 2026, 10:11 EDT
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Early into 2025, the Toronto Blue Jays re-signed two core members of a team that went on to play in the World Series.
After a whole lot of speculation, it was announced on April 9th, 2025, that the Blue Jays signed Guerrero Jr. to a massive 14-year, $500 million extension, which makes him a Blue Jay for life. That extension let the team focus on baseball and helped them find the success they did in 2025.
The other player who signed an extension early in 2025 was Alejandro Kirk, who signed a five-year deal worth $58 million, great value for one of the best defensive catchers in the league with an above-average bat.
What makes these extensions notable is the fact that since Mark Shapiro and Ross Atkins took over the team in the 2015/16 off-season, they’ve only signed four extensions. The other two players who’ve received an extension are José Berríos during the 2021/22 off-season and Randal Grichuk, who signed early in the 2019 season.
Entering the 2026 season, there are a handful of players coming off the books. On the pitching side of things, Kevin Gausman is open to signing an extension, while Shane Bieber, Max Scherzer, Eric Lauer, and Yimi García are also set to be free agents. Their best hitter in 2025, George Springer, is also set to be a free agent. However, the soon-to-be free agent the Jays should prioritize giving an extension to is Daulton Varsho.

It’s time to sign Daulton Varsho to an extension

Acquired in the trade that sent then-top prospect Gabriel Moreno and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. to the Diamondbacks, Varsho was coming off a season where he slashed.235/.302/.443 with 27 home runs in 592 plate appearances for a 106 wRC+. Additionally, the former catcher already looked to be one of the best defensive outfielders in the league, posting 20 Defensive Runs Saved and 17 Outs Above Average in 920.1 innings in the outfield.
After the trade, Varsho remained a premier defensive player, but his bat took a hit. In 2023, he slashed .220/.285/.389 with 20 home runs in 581 plate appearances for an 84 wRC+. At the same time, he was robbed of a Gold Glove, despite finishing with 27 DRS and 9 OAA while splitting hit time between centre field and left field.
Varsho finally won the Gold Glove in 2024, posting 28 DRS, 14 OAA, and 15 Fielding Run Value in 1,085.1 innings in the outfield. Thanks to a strong April and August, Varsho’s bat was around league average, finishing the season with a 99 wRC+. However, his batting average dropped to .214 while finishing with an on-base percentage below .300 for the second consecutive season.
His 2024 was cut a bit short, as he underwent rotator cuff surgery in September of that year. That injury kept him from playing in the field to begin the 2025 season, but with Dave Popkins joining as the new hitting coach, you could tell Varsho’s hitting ability was about to improve thanks to a strong Spring Training.
Stats in Spring Training can be a bit bit misleading, but Varsho hit four home runs over 37 plate appearances while slashing .242/.297/.697 for a 138 wRC+. He drew a handful of walks and finished Spring Training with a 21.6 K%, before heading on the Injured List. Returning in late April, Varsho slashed .207/.240/.543 with eight home runs over 100 plate appearances for a 103 wRC+ before injuring his hamstring in the final game of May.
Varsho missed the next two months, returning in August where he finished the season slashing .256/.310/.551 with 12 home runs in 171 plate appearances for a 134 wRC+. Overall, he finished the season slashing .238/.284/.548 with 20 home runs in just 271 plate appearances for a 123 wRC+. If he kept that pace over 600 plate appearances, that’d be good enough for 44 home runs.
Even with missing three whole months of the season, Varsho managed to post 10 DRS, 9 OAA, and 6 FRV in just 550.1 innings. He wasn’t named a Gold Glove finalist, but his DRS ranked tied for 15th, his OAA ranked tied for 10th, and his FRV ranked tied for 20th.
With the season beginning in less than a week, Varsho’s defence alone should warrant an extension, but once again, he’s had an impressive Spring Training. Over 47 plate appearances, the 29-year-old is slashing .442/.489/.953 (that’s an 1.443 OPS by the way) with five home runs for a 263 wRC+.
Again, Spring Training stats should be taken with an asteroid-sized grain of salt, but the fact he’s struck out just one over 47 plate appearances while also improving his high-fastball coverage is an encouraging sign.
At his worst, Varsho is the best defensive outfielder in the league that gives the bottom of the lineup some thump and is deserving of an extension. At his best, well, let’s hope he takes a step forward in 2026.
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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