These Are 3 of the Most Noteworthy Trades during the MLB Offseason

The 2023 Major League Baseball (MLB) offseason featured plenty of player movement, with 22 teams spending more than $100 million in free agency. The New York Yankees signed slugger Aaron Judge to a nine-year, $360 million contract. Eight other players signed contracts worth more than $100 million. 

Teams didn't only utilize free agency to improve their rosters. There have been more than 60 trades since November 6, 2022, and many, including the three here, involved impact players.  

Toronto Acquires Daulton Varsho 

The Toronto Blue Jays added an elite defender as well as some speed and home run power to its lineup by acquiring center fielder Daulton Varsho from the Arizona Diamondbacks on December 23. Toronto sent outfielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and catching prospect Gabriel Moreno to Arizona in the trade. 

Varsho, who can also play catcher, hit a career-best 27 home runs to go along with 74 RBIs and a .235 batting average in 2022. The former second-round pick also had 16 stolen bases. Varsho's speed also helps him track down fly balls better than any player in baseball. He led all outfielders in outs above average (+13) and runs prevented (+11) in 2022. 

Gurriel Jr. had just five home runs and 52 RBIs in 2022 but is just one year removed from a 21-home-run, 84-RBI campaign. Moreno, meanwhile, had one home run and seven RBIs in 25 games with the Blue Jays last season. He spent most of the year with the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons. MLB ranked him as the league's seventh-best prospect before the 2022 season. 

Luis Arraez to the Miami Marlins 

The Miami Marlins also added an elite defensive player in Luis Arraez. Miami acquired the 25-year-old second baseman from the Minnesota Twins in exchange for starting pitcher Pablo Lopez, shortstop prospect Jose Salas, and outfield prospect Byron Chourio. Arraez, who can also play first and third base, was the American League (AL) batting champion in 2022 and finished the year with a .316 average to go along with eight home runs and 49 RBIs. He's the first reigning batting champion to be traded since Rod Carew in 1978. 

Lopez, the key piece in the trade for the Twins, pitched a career-best 180 innings in 2022 and had a 3.75 earned run average (ERA). Salas, a 19-year-old from Florida, was a top-five prospect for Miami in the MLB Pipeline rankings before the trade. 

Seattle Adds Teoscar Hernandez 

Before acquiring Varsho from the Diamondbacks, the Blue Jays dealt power-hitting outfielder and designated hitter Teoscar Hernandez to the Seattle Mariners for pitchers Erik Swanson and Adam Macko. Swanson, a 29-year-old relief pitcher, allowed just 39 hits in 53.2 innings pitched in 2022 and finished the year with a career-best 1.68 ERA. 

Hernandez should be a good addition to the Mariners lineup. The 30-year-old Dominican outfielder won a Silver Slugger award for the second consecutive season in 2022 after finishing the year with 25 home runs and 77 RBI. He has at least 20 home runs in four of the last five seasons.