Toronto
fromJays Journal
9 hours agoChecking in on 3 ex-Blue Jays in their first week of 2026
The Toronto Blue Jays have made strategic player replacements and are monitoring the performance of former players in their new teams.
With this early-spring trade, the organization is mortgaging Loperfido's long-term potential - a low-cost asset with five additional seasons of club control - in favour of short-term certainty in Sánchez, who features another arbitration-eligible season in 2027 before hitting free agency. It provides this lineup, now without Anthony Santander (left shoulder surgery), with a known commodity that can help address a particular need - power.
The Astros could have non-tendered Sánchez on the heels of those struggles but chose to keep him around despite a projected arbitration salary of some note. The two parties agreed to a $6.8MM deal for the 2026 season. Toronto will take on the entirety of that sum in this swap and, as a third-time luxury payor in the top penalty tier, pay a 110% tax.