Again, note that the batting average and OBP are the exact same. So, with all the downsides, why would Toronto make this move?
Obviously, they’ve been hit hard by injuries, but Sosa isn’t much of an improvement over what they already had. Tyler Fitzgerald hasn’t seen the field once for Toronto this year, and yet over his career has had a significantly higher WAR (3.7 vs -1.2), higher OPS (.739 vs .659), more stolen bases (28 vs 5), and a much better DRS (2 vs -25).
Additionally, Toronto already has a player who struggles significantly defensively but has offensive upside in Sosa’s former (and now current) teammate, Eloy Jiménez, so why potentially cut into his at-bats? Alternatively, if one is DHing, it could mean the other is playing the field, something that would be a huge detriment to the team.
An important note on Sosa: while he’s only 26, he is out of options and has four years of service time remaining. Toronto didn’t give up a ton to acquire him (Jordan Rich was the team’s 17th round pick in 2025), so I don’t think they’re going to have a very long leash.
Fitzgerald will likely be returned to Triple-A Buffalo when Sosa is activated (as he does have options), but we’ll have to see how often Sosa even starts for the Blue Jays.
Kazuma Okamoto hasn’t quite lived up to expectations yet, but with Davis Schneider and Ernie Clement’s hot starts, the odds are that Sosa will remain a bench bat.
The only problem with that is if you bring him in as a pinch hitter late in a game (maybe they bring in a lefty for Andrés Giménez), you’re now stuck with him in the field in the most important innings. You also can’t bring him in as a pinch runner, as he’s below league average on the bases.
It’s a numbers game for Toronto, and they’re looking for somebody to come in and provide a spark, but going with Sosa over either Fitzgerald or some of their existing names in Triple-A is quite the head scratcher.