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The real reason the Toronto Blue Jays traded Will Wagner explained


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Bobby Ohr
August 4, 2025  (4:58 PM)
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Toronto Blue Jays former infielder Will Wagner before being traded to the San Diego Padres #bluejays #mlb
Photo credit: Just Baseball

The Toronto Blue Jays surprised a lot of fans when they decided to trade Will Wagner to the San Diego Padres and it looks like it was for more than just clearing up roster space.

The reason behind the Blue Jays Will Wagner trade explained

Wagner has had a rough 2025 season with the Blue jays which saw him sent down to Triple-A for a solid portion of the season but many believed that Wagner had a bright future in Toronto.
According to a recent report by Mike Wilner in the Toronto Star, the Blue Jays not only traded Wagner to the Padres to clear up room but because they thought they would be better off with Ty France in their lineup.
Since his call-up, Wagner had been back to his old self, hitting .291 with a .391 on-base percentage, but the Jays decided they preferred Ty France in his role and made the move for Valenzuela, who was hitting .229 with a dozen homers -Wilner

On top of that, the Blue Jays do not have a lot of catcher depth in the minor leagues which is why bringing in a skilled catcher like Valenzuela who is both good defensively and at the plate was the right move.
«He's a switch-hitting catcher that we feel can help us on both sides of the ball,» general manager Ross Atkins said after the deadline passed. «Not just in an area that we felt protected us, but also feel like he is a very good prospect.»

While Wagner might end up being a solid MLB player as he showed moments of greatness at the end of last season when the Blue Jays acquired him, Toronto feels like they made the right move to improve their team right now.
As of right now the Padres have Wagner in the minors since they acquired so many players at the trade deadline and did not have room for him but if an infield injury occurs, he will potentially get called back up to the majors.
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The real reason the Toronto Blue Jays traded Will Wagner explained

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