Toronto Blue Jays management can finally take some time to rest after what was a very busy trade deadline day.
In the weeks before the deadline, it was clear that the now 50-57 Blue Jays would be sellers, and they certainly lived up to that title. Today, they moved three players in total, the first being reliever Trevor Richards.
Richards was sent to the Minnesota Twins in exchange for High-A infielder Jay Harry. The 31-year-old reliever, who spent parts of three seasons with the Blue Jays, has a 4.64 ERA through 52.1 innings this season. Harry, meanwhile, is hitting .214 with eight home runs and 39 RBIs through 295 at bats.
The second trade of the day came shortly after, as it was announced that Isiah Kiner-Falefa was dealt to the Pittsburgh Pirates. This is the deal Blue Jays fans will be the happiest with today, as they received a great hitting prospect in Charles McAdoo as the return.
The 23-year-old is slashing .315 with 14 home runs and 63 RBIs in Double-A ball this season. Kiner-Falefa, who is currently on the IL, is hitting .292 with seven home runs and 33 RBIs through 82 outings.
The third and final deal of the day came with just minutes to spare, which saw Kevin Kiermaier moved to the LA Dodgers in exchange for 32-year-old reliever Ryan Yarbrough. Kiermaier was never expected to generate much of a return given his tough year at the plate, but has been given a great opportunity to win his first World Series championship in what is his final MLB season.
Today was far from the only trade action involving the Blue Jays as of late. They started things off on Friday by moving Yimi Garcia to the Seattle Mariners and also wound up dealing Nate Pearson, Danny Jansen, Justin Turner, and Yusei Kikuchi in separate trades a short time later.
To no surprise, the Jays didn’t move players with terms on their deals, such as Chris Bassitt. This was the route they were expected to take, as management hopes to become a competitive team once again in 2025.
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