HOUSTON – Six deals in two days bringing in 10 players, six of them pitchers, highlighted by Jose Soriano, made for a busy and transformative trade deadline for the Toronto Blue Jays.
Using pending free agents Kevin Gausman and Daulton Varsho, leverage reliever Jeff Hoffman, up-and-down lefty Adam Macko and three prospects including touted shortstop Arjun Nimmala, general manager Ross Atkins restocked the big-league rotation for this year and beyond with Soriano and Spencer Arrighetti, “the demographic we were looking to add to this group,” while also building depth at triple-A and sprinkling in longer-term upside.
While the Blue Jays didn’t “have a clear target in acquisitions at the cost of talent, there are tiebreakers and positional fits that can be goals,” said Atkins. “In the end, talent is going to trump all. If we were breaking ties, we wanted to acquire pitching because we do feel like we have a good position-player group here and below. I feel like we've complemented them well.”
Here’s a look at the deals they made.
ACQUIRED Spencer Arrighetti from the Houston Astros for Daulton Varsho
SPENCER ARRIGHETTI
SP | 6-2/ 186 pounds | B/T: R/R | Age: 26
2026 stats Houston: G: 17 | GS: 17 | IP: 88 | ERA: 5.44 | HR: 12 | BB/K: 50/87
The Breakdown: Currently on the injured list with nerve irritation in his right foot, Arrighetti isn’t far away from returning and gives the Blue Jays another potential rotation piece under contractual control through 2030, one with three options, too. He’s a serviceable starter that does a good job of inducing soft contact with a seven-pitch mix built around a curveball-fastball combo and has a middle-of-the-pack strikeout rate of 22.5 per cent, although his walks are high at 13 per cent. Still, starters of his ilk are hard to acquire, especially for two months of Varsho.
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ACQUIRED Dasan Hill, John Klein and Damuery Pena from the Minnesota Twins for Jeff Hoffman
DASAN HILL
Prospect Rankings: No. 8 in Twins system by Baseball America
SP | 6-5/ 165 pounds | B/T: R/R | Age: 20
2026 stats High A Cedar Rapids: G: 16 | GS: 16 | IP: 45 | ERA: 5.80 | HR: 2 | BB/K: 37/77
The Breakdown: A second-round pick in 2024, the big righty features big-time stuff and all the risk that comes along with high-velo high schoolers. Topping out at 98 m.p.h., he gets a lot of swing and miss with a 34.5 per cent whiff rate and a 36 per cent strikeout rate, but that also comes with a 17.2 per cent walk rate. His changeup and sweeper can be weapons and he also throws a curveball, too.
JOHN KLEIN
Prospect Rankings: No. 29 in Cubs system by Baseball America
SP/RP | 6-5/ 225 pounds | B/T: R/R | Age: 24
2026 stats TWINS: G: 3 | IP: 4.1 | ERA: 4.15 | HR: 1 | BB/K: 4/2
2026 stats Triple-A St. Paul: G: 24 | GS: 14 | IP: 64 | ERA: 5.91 | HR: 14 | BB/K: 34/74
The Breakdown: The 2022 non-drafted free agent made his big-league debut against the Blue Jays on May 2 with a clean inning, one of three appearances in the majors, but has mostly pitched at triple-A. He averages 94.5 m.p.h. with his fastball while also throwing a changeup, cutter, curveball and sweeper, with a solid strikeout rate of 26.3 per cent and a 29.5 per cent chase rate. He could be a starter or a reliever for the Blue Jays and gives them another upper-level pitcher with options.
DAMEURY PENA
2B | 5-10/150 pounds | B/T: R/R | Age: 20
2026 stats Low-A Fort Myers: PA: 274 | .322/.393/.381 | HR: 1 | SB: 19 | BB/K: 27/16
2026 stats HIgh-A Cedar Rapids: PA: 110 | .245/.373/.316 | HR: 0 | SB: 1 | BB/K: 8/11
The Breakdown: Like the other position players acquired, Pena is a diminutive, high-contact, good strike-zone control batter with the speed to create some havoc on the bases. The Blue Jays feel he has a chance to grow into power down the road.
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ACQUIRED Jose Soriano from the Los Angeles Angels for prospects Arjun Nimmala, Eddie Micheletti Jr. and Angel Rivero
Jose Soriano
SP | 6-3/ 220 pounds | B/T: R/R | Age: 27
2026 stats: G: 22 | GS: 22 | IP: 123 | ERA: 3.29 | HR: 12| BB/K: 57/127
The Breakdown: The Blue Jays had been looking to employ a buy-and-sell approach, and acquired the ace-calibre righty under club control through the 2028 season to pair with Dylan Cease. Soriano has a big fastball, averaging 96.7 m.p.h., and pairs that with a sinker, curveball, splitter and less-used slider. He gets a lot of groundballs at 52.3 per cent and whiffs at 31.4 per cent. More importantly, he helps remake a rotation that was trending toward threadbare next season. With him, Cease and Trey Yesavage as a starting point, and with Cody Ponce, Bowden Francis and Jose Berrios among those slated to return from injury, they suddenly have a deeper group to build from. The cost was steep, starting with Nimmala, the 2023 first-rounder who at just 20 years old has an .806 OPS in 33 games since being promoted to double-A New Hampshire. Micheletti, 24, is a hard-hitting outfielder also at New Hampshire with 14 homers in 93 games, while Rivero, 19, struck out 52 in 42 innings in the rookie-level Florida Complex League.
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ACQUIRED Josh Smith and Josh Stephan from the Texas Rangers for Adam Macko
Josh Smith
INF | 5-9/ 172 pounds | B/T: L/R | Age: 28
2026 stats: PA: 154 | .213/.299/.272 | HR: 1 | SB: 3 | BB/K: 16/29
The Breakdown: The versatile infielder with some outfield experience and two remaining options is the prime return for Macko, the Canadian lefty who broke through to the big-leagues this season and bounced between triple-A and the majors. Smith is in the midst of a down year at the plate after posting an OPS of .731 in 2024 and .701 in 2025. Still, the left-handed hitter is under club control through 2028 and the Blue Jays infield floor is thin beyond Andres Gimenez and Ernie Clement after this season. He runs well but his fielding metrics have declined in recent seasons.
Josh Stephan
SP | 6-3/ 185 pounds | B/T: R/R | Age: 24
2026 stats Triple-A Round Rock: G: 21 | GS: 19 | IP: 101 | ERA: 5.44 | HR: 20| BB/K: 31/97
The Breakdown: With few true starters at triple-A, Stephan gives the Blue Jays the potential for an up-and-down arm, although one that will be Rule 5 eligible this fall so he’ll need a spot on the 40-man roster to avoid exposure. His fastball sits 92 m.p.h. but a sinker-slider combo from a six-pitch mix gives the Blue Jays something to work with.
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ACQUIRED Ty Southisene and Brett Bateman from the Cubs for Kevin Gausman
Ty Southisene
Prospect Rankings: No. 10 in Cubs system by Baseball America
INF | Five-foot-seven, 170 pounds | B/T: R/R | Age: 21
2026 stats high-A South Bend: PA: 209 | .333/.459/.381 | HR: 0 | SB: 20 | BB/K: 30/27
2026 stats low-A Myrtle Beach: PA: 105 | .267/.373/.372 | HR: 0 | SB: 11 | BB/K: 11/10
The Breakdown: The diminutive fourth-round pick in the 2024 draft possesses the type of high-contact, strong-plate-discipline profile the Blue Jays value, with good baserunning skills. He has minimal power, with zero home runs in pro ball, but between his bat-to-ball abilities as well as his speed, he gives the club’s player development staff tools to work with. He’s only played shortstop this season after primarily playing second base last year.
Brett Bateman
Prospect Rankings: No. 21 in Cubs system by MLB Pipeline
OF | Five-foot-10, 170 pounds | B/T: L/L | Age: 24
2026 stats triple-A Iowa: PA: 346 | .312/.431/.422 | HR: 3 | SB: 20 | BB/K: 60/65
The Breakdown: The eighth-round pick in 2023 offers a similar contact-speed profile to Southisene along with strong defence in centre field, a position where the Blue Jays have a hole to fill for 2027 and beyond. He doesn’t hit the ball especially hard with an average exit velocity of 88.1 m.p.h. and rarely puts it in the air, but he rarely chases, rarely whiffs and uses his speed to leverage his contact. Combined with his play in the field, there are tools there that can carry him to the majors.
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ACQUIRED Jameson Taillon from the Chicago Cubs for cash or a player to be named
Jameson Taillon
SP | Six-foot-five, 230 pounds | B/T: R/R | Age: 34
2026 stats: G: 15 | GS: 15 | IP: 76 | ERA: 5.92 | HR: 25| BB/K: 27/68
The Breakdown: A steady and reliable innings-eater throughout his career, Taillon pitched for Canada at the World Baseball Classic this spring — both his parents are Canadian — but has been victimized this season by the home run, allowing 3.0 per nine innings, more than double his career norm. He missed most of June and part of July with a strained left hamstring and made two starts after returning from the injured list, allowing five more homers in 8.1 innings, leading the Cubs to DFA him. His fastball velocity is down to 91.8 m.p.h. but he has a six-pitch mix and his sweeper and curveball have both been effective, giving the Blue Jays tools to work with as they backfill the rotation.
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