The Blue Jays have acquired veteran infielder Jonathan Villar from the Marlins, a source tells Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.
Villar, 29, has batted .272/.328/.360 in 29 games for the Marlins this season. Over that span, he's spent significant time at both short and second base. In the past. Villar has also manned third base, so he gives Toronto depth at multiple infield positions. Villar is coming of a 2019 season for the Orioles in which he hit 24 home runs in 162 games. For his career, Villar owns an OPS+ of 97 across parts of eight major league seasons.
The Villar addition adds to an active deadline for the Blue Jays, who have already acquired right-hander Taijuan Walker, left-hander Robbie Ray and DH/1B Dan Vogelbach. Coming into Monday's slate, the Jays were 18-14 and in playoff position in the AL. Villar figures to man shortstop for the Blue Jays until Bo Bichette (knee) returns from the injured list. At that point, the switch-hitting Villar may assume a utility role while as a lineup primary across multiple positions.
From the Marlins' standpoint, Craig Mish adds this:
Isan Diaz originally opted out of the 2020 season in early August, but according to Mish he's back and will take over as the regular at second base, assuming his bid for reinstatement is approved. Thus, Villar became expendable even though the Marlins have designs on contending for one of the final NL playoff spots.