Extending Daulton Varsho this winter is a must for Toronto Blue Jays

It's unfortunate that Varsho's season will be remembered for the last two games played in the World Series, where he had so many opportunities to cash in much-needed runs.

Unfortunately his great 2025 season (when healthy) is going to be forgotten, which is a shame.

He had a .217/.289/.398 batting line with 38 home runs in his first two seasons with the team.

Many observers have a hard time believing a .217 hitter could be a valuable player, but his 8.6 bWAR over the two years seems to suggest otherwise.

Varsho's defense in centerfield is the best we've seen since Devon White, and it might be as good as White's, which seems almost sacrilege to think.

His defense in center field alone is a reason for the Blue Jays to re-sign him, as he had 10 Defensive Runs Saved, 9 Outs Above Average, and 6 Fielding Run Value in just 550.1 innings in center field last season.

Six years into his big league career, everyone knows the type of player Varsho is, he'll strike out and hit for a low average, but also hit home runs and play incredible defense. You absolutely take that trade-off, solely for his defense.

There's also the fact that Varsho was incredibly effective with the bat in 2025.

Last season, he slashed .238/.284/.548 with a 6.3 BB% and 28.4 K%. Yet, he finished with a 123 wRC+, the highest of his career.

Why? Well, the left-handed slugger has significant power in his bat.

In just 271 plate appearances last season, Varsho hit 20 home runs, fourth on the team only behind Addison Barger (21), Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (23), and George Springer (32).

It wasn't an anomaly either. Varsho crushed the ball in Spring Training, hitting four home runs in 37 plate appearances.

In his minor league rehab assignments, he hit three home runs in 50 plate appearances.

- April: .286/.714 with 1 home run 2 walks and 3 strikeouts in 2 games.
- May: .200/.220/.529 with 7 home runs, 3 walks and 28 strikeouts in 22 games.
- August: .250/.329/.597 with 7 home runs, 8 walks and 23 strikeouts in 24 games.
- September: .262/.292/.512 with 5 home runs, 4 walks and 23 strikeouts in 23 games.

With runners in scoring position, Daulton hit .258/.280/.606. In high-leverage spots, he hit .214/.266/.482. In low leverage spots, he hit .280/.315/.720.

Baseball Reference has him at a 2.8 bWAR and FanGraphs 2.2 (dropping from 5.0 bWAR and 3.1 fWAR last year), giving him a value of $17.7 million to the Jays.

It wasn't until the postseason that he was slowed down, and even then, he hit three home runs in 81 plate appearances.