The Houston Astros are going to have a lot of changes made to the team this upcoming offseason. A few players will be traded, and others will hit the open market and likely walk.
One of those players set to be a free agent is Gold Glove outfielder Daulton Varsho, whom the Astros got from the Toronto Blue Jays at the MLB trade deadline.
Unfortunately for Varsho, however, is that he's completely tanked his free-agent value. As CBS Sports' Matt Snyder pointed out, Varsho's struggles this season, especially since joining the Astros, have likely ruined his value this offseason.
Daulton Varsho has tanked his free agent value this year
"He's been worse since the trade to Houston, hitting just .179 with a 53 OPS+ and -0.1 WAR," Snyder writes. "He wasn't a star, but he looked after last season like stardom might be possible. Now he's barely playable."
Varsho will be heading into his age-30 MLB season next year, and it's likely to be on a new team, as he's been a major letdown for the Astros this season since the trade.
In 38 games, he has -0.1 bWAR with a 53 OPS+ and a .540 OPS. In 99 games with the Blue Jays before the trade, he had 0.8 bWAR with a .682 OPS and 87 OPS+.
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Even though he was better in Toronto than he's been in Houston, his overall season production has been a major step back from his 121 OPS+ 2025 season with the Blue Jays.
He's regressed significantly and has likely tanked his value on the open market. His defense isn't as good as before, and his offense is well below league average.
It's going to be hard for Varsho to land a deal of any substance this offseason. More likely than not, he's going to be forced to take a cheaper one-year prove-it deal.
After a strong 2025 season, his production in 2026 has been a massive letdown. Varsho has tanked his free-agent value this year, and now he is going to miss out on a chance to land a huge contract in his first year as a free agent.
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