Blue Jays acquire Sánchez from Astros for Loperfido

The Toronto Blue Jays acquired outfielder Jesús Sánchez from the Houston Astros for outfielder Joey Loperfido, the team announced Friday.

The move comes three days after the Blue Jays announced that Anthony Santander would miss five-to-six months following shoulder surgery.

Sánchez hit .237/.304/.395 with 14 home runs, 48 RBIs, and 13 steals in 134 games between the Astros and Miami Marlins last season. However, the 28-year-old struggled to a .199/.269/.342 slash line with four homers and 40 strikeouts in 48 contests after Houston acquired him at the 2025 trade deadline.

The left-handed hitting Sánchez has performed well against right-handed pitching throughout his career, slugging .450 with a .774 OPS. He also ranked in the 93rd percentile in bat speed and 79th percentile in average exit velocity last season.

Toronto will take on Sánchez's $6.8-million salary for 2026 and has one more year of control over him before he becomes a free agent. He's also out of minor-league options.

Loperfido joined the Blue Jays from the Astros in a four-player deal at the 2024 trade deadline. The 26-year-old owns a career .248/.297/.392 slash line with eight homers and 39 RBIs in 122 big-league games. He performed well for Toronto in limited duty last season, posting an .879 OPS (140 OPS+) in 41 games.

"I'm so grateful to have gotten to play with this group, to play in Toronto for those fans, for a whole country. That postseason run is something I'll have for my whole life," Loperfido said following the trade.

Astros general manager Dana Brown said Houston re-acquired Loperfido in large part due to his five years of team control and the belief that his bat is "going in the right direction."

Brown added that the Astros are "not done" making moves, according to The Athletic's Chandler Rome. Houston is reportedly engaged in multiple trade discussions involving its infield surplus.