The Philadelphia Phillies have reportedly expressed interest in Blue Jays outfielder Daulton Varsho, according to Jon Heyman of the New York Post. Varsho (age 30) is a left-handed hitter who’s posted a .247/.308/.383 slash line with 7 home runs and 26 RBI’s in 96 games, 324 at-bats total so far during the 2026 season. The Phillies are looking for lineup help. The Phillies offense “ranks 25th in baseball on non-fastballs, ” per NBC Sports Philadelphia.
Heyman also interestingly reported that Varsho’s dad, “Gary”, played for the Phillies in 1994-95. Phillies first baseman Bryce Harper made note of the lineup struggles as a team, stating after the Phillies lost Tuesday in Miami, “I think we need some help.” Harper then further added, “I think we’ve pretty much all year we’ve done a pretty good job, but anytime you can get some help and reinforcements in here, it helps.” The Phillies manager, Don Mattingly, responded to these comments from Harper, stating, “Bryce is Bryce,” and that he wouldn’t be addressing the comments from Harper, calling it a “grain of salt” type of thing.
Varsho Was Originally Drafted As Catcher Out of Wisconsin
Daulton Varsho was drafted in the 2017 MLB Draft with the 68th pick by the Arizona Diamondbacks. Varsho was originally drafted as a catcher out of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, but was later transitioned from catcher to outfielder. Varsho made his major league debut in 2020 with the Diamondbacks and was with the team up until 2022 before being traded to the Toronto Blue Jays on December 23rd, 2022. In 4 seasons with Toronto, Varsho has compiled a 12.3 WAR.
His best season arguably came in 2022, when he posted a career-high 4.9 WAR in a single season with Arizona, hitting 27 home runs with 74 RBI’s and a .745 OPS. Varsho’s best season in Toronto up to this point has arguably been 2025, in which Varsho hit 20 home runs with an .832 OPS. With the Toronto Blue Jays being in last place (5th) in the American League East with a 50-59 record and 5.5 games back from a wild card spot, it ultimately means they will be sellers at this year’s trade deadline. It’s been a disappointing season for Toronto, which narrowly lost the 2025 World Series in seven games to the Los Angeles Dodgers at home, at Rogers Center in Toronto.
Varsho Underlying Metrics Tell Different Story
The Phillies, on the other hand, have a 57-52 record and are tied with Arizona for one of the wild card spots. Varsho has great range in center field (positive 4) OAA (outs above average) despite being limited sprint-speed-wise, with just a 27.3 sprint speed, according to Baseball Savant. Varsho’s underlying metrics have not looked promising this season up to this point. He’s not barreling pitches up, with an 86.2 mph average exit velocity, which ranks in the bottom tenth percentile amongst qualified major league hitters, according to Baseball Savant.
Varsho is also chasing a lot, with a 36.5% chase rate, which ranks in the 18th percentile, per Baseball Savant. On the one positive side, Varsho is not striking out at an alarming rate. He has an 18.9% K percentage in 2026, which ranks in the 65th percentile, according to Baseball Savant. If the Phillies were able to swing a deal for Varsho, they’d be hoping to see more of the previous versions of him in the last three seasons.
Right now, it’s wait-and-see mode for the Phillies organization and the 29 other teams in Major League Baseball as it relates to the looming trade deadline.
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