The Toronto Blue Jays traded utility man Cavan Biggio earlier this week, and now, they have designated Daniel Vogelbach for assignment, the team announced.
Vogelbach's departure serves as a corresponding move to the activation of utility man Addison Barger, who was recalled from Triple-A.
Vogelbach has exclusively served as a designated hitter this season, slashing .186/.278/.300 with one home run and eight RBI over 79 plate appearances. For a guy who doesn't play the field, that obviously is certainly not enough.
The 31-year-old signed with the Blue Jays this past February.
Vogelbach is well-traveled, having broke into the big leagues with the Seattle Mariners back in 2016. His first full season was in 2019, and he was decent, slashing .208/.341/.439 with 30 homers and 76 RBI across 558 trips to the dish. That earned him an All-Star appearance.
He then played for three different teams in 2020, including a brief stint with Toronto after being purchased off waivers from the Mariners. He also played for the Milwaukee Brewers that season. Additionally, Vogelbach played for the Pittsburgh Pirates and New York Mets between 2022 and 2023 before re-joining the Blue Jays.
Vogelbach owns a lifetime slash line of .219/.340/.405.
The Blue Jays are in a weird spot ahead of the MLB trade deadline
The Blue Jays are 33-35 and sit 3.5 games behind the Minnesota Twins for the final American League Wild Card spot. However, some feel that Toronto will end up selling off some pieces between now and the July 30 MLB trade deadline.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette have been speculated as potential trade pieces, although the Blue Jays have remained adamant that neither player will be moved. That makes sense, considering both players are in their mid 20s and are under team control through next season.
But are there any other trade candidates on Toronto's roster?
If the Jays decide over the next several weeks that they are going into sell mode, starting pitchers like Chris Bassitt, Yusei Kikuchi and Kevin Gausman could all be trade candidates. The Blue Jays would probably prefer to hold on to Jose Berrios, who they acquired in a big trade with the Minnesota Twins in 2021. They also have him under contract through 2028, so they don't have to be in any rush to move the 30-year-old.
However, the other names could very easily become significant trade pieces if Toronto falls further in the standings.
The Blue Jays could also look to trade outfielder George Springer and utility man Justin Turner, although both players are having dreadful seasons and would probably not fetch all that much in return.
Toronto has actually made the playoffs in three of the last four seasons, although it has gotten swept in the Wild Card Round each time. The Blue Jays did advance to the ALCS in back-to-back campaigns in 2015 and 2016, losing both times.
Prior to that, the Jays had gone 21 straight years without making the playoffs, so this is still a pretty desperate franchise.
When you take that into consideration, it makes it even less likely that the front office will do something drastic like trading Guerrero.
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