The Jays made yet another trade. Daulton Varsho goes to the Astros for pitcher Spencer Arrighetti.
The Jays are sending some money along with Daulton to Houston. Varsho, as you know, hasn’t have the best season with the bat, hittnig .243/.307/.375 with 7 home runs, 29 walks and 71 strikeouts. And he’s a step slower in the outfield than he has been in the past. FanGraphs has him at a +4 Outs Above Average, where he was a +9 last year.
Arrighetti is like alphagetti, but it only has Rs in it. Sorry.
He’s
a 26-year- old, right-handed starting pitcher. In 17 starts he has a 4.60 ERA. in 88 innings, he’s given up 68 hits, 50 walks with 87 strikeouts. Batters are hitting .215/.344/.360 against him. He was the Astros’ number 3 prospect before the 2024 season, according to Baseball Pipeline. They say:
Arrighetti’s fastball has jumped from 89-91 mph with a peak of 94 with the Ragin’ Cajuns to 92-95 mph with a max velo of 97 in pro ball, and his four-seamer’s flat approach angle and late hop keep it off barrels. He has turned what was a ho-hum slider with tight break into a low-80s sweeper that’s now his best pitch, and he also can morph it into a harder cutter. His upper-70s curveball features good depth, he has a new grip on his mid-80s changeup that produces tumble and he may add a two-seamer in 2024.
To reach his ceiling as a No. 4 starter, Arrighetti will have to refine his control and command. He threw more strikes with less stuff in college, though he doesn’t have to be terribly precise because his low arm slot and the extension in his delivery create a lot of deception. If he can’t stick in the rotation, his fastball/slider combination and competitive nature could make him a bullpen weapon.
He’s averaging 92.4 mph on the fastball. Throws a curve, slider, sinker, change and cutter. That’s a lot pitches.
