DUNEDIN, Fla. -- The Blue Jays shook up their outfield Friday morning, trading Joey Loperfido back to the Astros for Jesús Sánchez.
You can call it a stylistic choice, given that Sánchez will be dropped right into the same, crowded outfield that Loperfido was trying to find a home in, but this also represents a big swing on upside by the Blue Jays. They’re paying a price to roll that dice, too, even in a one-for-one deal.
The 28-year-old Sánchez is owed $6.8 million in 2026 and has a year of arbitration remaining beyond that. The Blue Jays are taking on money here, but also giving up a level of flexibility, as Loperfido has one option year remaining and could have been shuttled between Triple-A and the Majors as a valuable depth piece, just as he was a year ago. The Blue Jays are clearly betting on something here, and it’s easy to see exactly what that is.
“The power is real,” said general manager Ross Atkins. “He hits the ball as hard as anybody and that’s a good fit for us.”
Sánchez by the numbers 2025
Average exit velocity: 91.3 mph (Tied for 46th among 251 qualified hitters)
Average bat speed: 75.9 mph (Tied for 14th among 226 qualified hitters)
Sánchez’s bat speed is where much of the Blue Jays’ optimism lies here. Last season, only Vladimir Guerrero Jr. swung the bat harder than Sánchez on this roster (76.7 mph). Sánchez’s average swing speed fell right in line with Addison Barger’s, and if you’ve watched a single Barger at-bat, you know he likes to let it rip.
This hasn’t shown up in huge power numbers thus far for Sánchez, who has yet to reach 20 home runs in his big league career, but it’s something exciting for David Popkins, Lou Iannotti and the Blue Jays’ hitting staff to work with.
“There is upside,” Atkins said. "We do like the ease of his power and we like his swing, so we’ll see. Hitting is the hardest thing to do and impacting that in a significant way is extremely difficult, but what he does is certainly enough.”
For now, the platoon advantage is more than enough to play with. Sánchez owns a career OPS of .774 against righties compared to just .520 against lefties, so it’s easy to guess which days you’ll see him in the lineup.
“He has obviously been incredibly effective against right-handed pitching," Atkins said. "He slots in as one of our better options against right-handers on a very regular basis. I don’t want to limit him in any way because he’s a very good defender and can steal a base. He’s a really unique athlete, an above-average runner and his defense is strong. The power is as good as anybody in baseball.”
There’s plenty of room for Sánchez to work as a righty-mashing corner outfielder, because the Blue Jays have a half-dozen other outfielders who can fill in the gaps elsewhere. That picture is wide open after Anthony Santander underwent shoulder surgery earlier in the week, too, and while Atkins said this trade was “potentially” connected to that news, it’s easy to draw a straight line between the two. Beyond Daulton Varsho, who the Blue Jays would love to see for 150-plus games in center, they have Nathan Lukes, Davis Schneider, Myles Straw, Barger and some prospects on the way in RJ Schreck and Yohendrick Pinango. George Springer will take a handful of games in the corners, too, on top of his DH duties.
That puzzle still needs solving, but with Sánchez facing right-handed pitching, that’s a start. If Sánchez remains the exact same player he’s been with the Marlins and Astros over the past six seasons, then the Blue Jays will be left to solve that puzzle on a daily basis in 2026, just like they did for much of the ‘25 season. They’re betting on some upside beyond that, though, in an effort to raise the ceiling of a group that already has a sturdy floor.
The loss of Loperfido will be felt in the clubhouse, where he’s been a well-liked teammate and was a constant professional while he waited for opportunities. Loperfido was originally part of the package Toronto received for Yusei Kikuchi at the 2024 Trade Deadline, so at least he’ll know his way around.
The Blue Jays need to find some edges if they’re going to take another run at the World Series, though, even if those look more like stylistic changes than major upgrades at first glance.