The Toronto Blue Jays put together a nice trade deadline in the shadows, ending with a heist of the Minnesota Twins, who are in a state of nuclear detonation as we speak. RHP Louis Varland and 1B Ty France are on their way to Toronto, with Minnesota receiving OF Alan Roden LHP Kendry Rojas in return, per The Athletic's Mitch Bannnon.
Breaking: The #BlueJays have acquired Luis Varland and Ty France from the Twins, per source.
— Mitch Bannon (@MitchBannon) July 31, 2025
This comes after trades for RHPs Seranthony Domínguez and Shane Bieber, a high-leverage reliever and a potential impact starter. Bieber has not pitched yet in 2025, but is due back from Tommy John rehab in the coming weeks. Domínguez recently made his Blue Jays debut against his former team, the O's, on the second half of a doubleheader in one of the more memorable trade circumstances of recent memory.
Varland figures to occupy an important role in the Blue Jays' bullpen next to Domínguez, while France profiles as more of a depth piece with utility at various infield positions.
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Blue Jays complete bullpen makeover with Twins' Louis Varland trade
Varland is enjoying his best season to date by far with a 2.02 ERA and 1.10 WHIP across 49.0 innings, notching 47 strikeouts. Mixing between high-90s heat and a slick curveball, Varland sits in the 82nd percentile for chase rate. He can hammer the corners with his fastball and use his off-speed repertoire to coax swings outside the zone. He keeps walks to a minimum gets a lot of ground-balls, which is a strong mix.
What's even better is that Varland is still in the pre-arbitration stage of his contract. Toronto will get several years of club control at bargain prices, so Varland has a chance to anchor this bullpen for years to come. He will not supplant Jeff Hoffman as the closer, but between Varland and Domínguez, Toronto's setup crew took a major step forward at the deadline.
As for France, he will probably transition from a starting role in Minnesota to a bench role in Toronto. It's been a while since he was a consistent option at the plate, currently sitting with a .675 OPS and 102 wRC+. He can spell the likes of Vladimir Guerrero Jr., David Schneider and Ernie Clement at various spots in the Blue Jays infield.
Twins get solid return as fire sale comes to close
This was a truly deranged trade deadline from the Twins front office. It feels like half the roster is out the door. Trading a controllable reliever like Varland hurts, but Minnesota got a nice return — headlined by Toronto's No. 5 prospect, 22-year-old LHP Kendry Rojas. Already leveled up to Triple-A, Rojas has a strong four-pitch arsenal and could end up with the Twins' MLB squad sooner than later given their sudden dearth of quality pitching.
Minnesota also receives rookie outfielder Alan Roden, 25, who has a .204 average and .589 OPS across 98 at-bats in the majors this season. Two quality, controllable pieces should help Twins fans get past the shock of so much deadline overturn.