Weird Astros-Blue Jays trade shows Guardians were right to avoid outfield market

Just because it’s spring training doesn’t mean that teams are done making moves. We got another example of that yesterday when the Houston Astros and Toronto Blue Jays linked up for a weird, one-for-one trade involving two MLB-ready outfielders. 

On one side, the Blue Jays sent young outfielder Joey Loperfiedo back to the Astros after they acquired him from Houston at the trade deadline in 2024. Meanwhile, the Astros sent out outfielder Jesús Sánchez, who they acquired from the Marlins at last year’s deadline. 

Not only are both players distressed assets, but they also weren’t with their respective teams long before the decision makers decided to pull the plug. 

While there’s a chance this trade could end up becoming a win for both teams, there’s no denying that both teams made it because they wanted to make up for the mistake of the initial transaction, which makes the Guardians lack of action in adding to their outfield make a little more sense.

Latest Astros-Blue Jays trade shows why the Guardians didn’t add an outfielder this offseason

The Guardians’ inaction with their outfield this season is a bit of a mixed bag. While they had one of the worst outfields in baseball last season, they also have a variety of young outfielders like Chase DeLauter and George Valera who should make that picture better than it was last season. 

But even with that, it’s fair to assume the Guardians’ front office was at least tempted by the idea of bringing in some kind of outside option to help fortify that group.

But the Blue Jays and Astros is a good cautionary tale of what can happen if you trade for a player who doesn’t fit into your team’s long-term plans. 

The Blue Jays acquired Loperfido as a part of their return for Yusei Kikuchi, but he never found a way to make an impression in Toronto and only managed to play in 84 games across his time with the Blue Jays. 

The Blue Jays were reportedly considering offers on him earlier this offseason, so the fact he got traded isn’t a huge surprise. The same can be said for Sánchez, who hit just .199 in 48 games for the Astros after being acquired at last year’s trade deadline. 

Although both players have some upside, they also have some clear red flags that ended up making them expandable despite the fact their teams gave up assets to get them. 

Even if that isn’t incredibly unique to either of them (bad trades happen all the time in baseball), both players being involved in a trade for each other shines a bright light on just how much of a mistake both deals were. 

And don’t get us wrong, the Guardians have plenty of problems in their outfield. But they don’t have that problem. In fact, the closest thing they have to that is Nolan Jones, who is making $2 million in 2026 after an incredibly disappointing showing last season. 

But the presence of DeLauter and Valera changes that considering they both can play multiple outfield positions and are able to hit for power.

Even though they both may run into the proverbial rookie wall at some point in 2026, they’re not going to have to worry about a distressed asset standing in their way.