HOW ARE THE PLAYERS THE BLUE JAYS MOVED AT THE TRADE DEADLINE DOING?
It’s been a little over a month since the 2024 trade deadline.
As you may recall, the Toronto Blue Jays were one of the busier teams leading up to the deadline. In total, they made eight trades with seven different teams leading up to the deadline.
In a two-part series, we’ll look at how all players involved in trades at the trade deadline are doing about a month after. We’ll look at the roster players the Jays traded in this article, before looking at how all the prospects they received have done.
Let’s dig in!
Yimi García
The first trade for the Jays came four days prior to the July 30 deadline, moving reliever Yimi García to the Seattle Mariners in exchange for prospects Jonatan Clase and Jacob Sharp.
With the Jays, García had a 2.70 ERA and a 2.68 FIP in 30 innings pitched, along with a 36.5 K% and a 7 BB% with a stint on the Injured List. García is currently on the 15-day Injured List for the Mariners, and had a 6.00 ERA and a 7.29 FIP in nine innings pitched with an 18.4 K% and a 10.5 BB% prior to the elbow injury.
Moreover, Seattle’s playoff aspirations are slipping further and further away. The Houston Astros have taken over the American League West record with a 75-63 record compared to the Mariners’ 69-69 record. As it stands, the Mariners are six games back of the division lead and five and a half games back of the final Wild Card position.
Justin Turner
Although we’re skipping ahead on the timeline, Justin Turner was also traded to the Mariners in a separate trade a day before the deadline. In return, the Jays received RJ Schreck, one of the best-named prospects in the Jays’ organization.
Prior to the trade, the 39-year-old slashed .256/.350/.372 with six home runs in 349 plate appearances, along with an 11.2 BB% and a 17.2 K% for a 111 wRC+. After a hot start, Turner struggled in May before hitting better in his last two months as a Blue Jay.
Post-trade, Turner has been solid for the Mariners as he’s slashing .238/.337/.357 with three home runs and a double in 98 plate appearances. It’ll be interesting to see what his plans are for the 2025 season.
Danny Jansen
On July 27, the Blue Jays traded their longest-serving player to their American League East rival, the Boston Red Sox. In return for the catcher, they received three prospects: Infielder Eddinson Paulino, third baseman Cutter Coffey, and right-handed starter Gilberto Batista.
Jansen had a hot start to his season, but by the time he was traded, Jansen was slashing .212/.303/.369 with six home runs in 228 plate appearances, along with an 11 BB% and an 18.4 K% for a 93 wRC+. This is a far cry from his stats from the previous three seasons.
Unfortunately, his struggles have continued with the Red Sox, as he’s slashed .207/.281/.310 with two home runs in 64 plate appearances, along with a 9.4 BB% and a 20.3 K%. Jansen is set to become a free agent at the season, and despite the rough season, he’s arguably the best catcher in free agency.
As for the Red Sox, they’re kind of in the same scenario as the Mariners, as they are on the outside looking in. They are currently four and a half games out of the final Wild Card spot and have lost their last three games.
Nate Pearson
The Chicago Cubs weren’t considered buyers at the trade deadline. Still, they made a surprising move, trading prospects Josh Rivera and Yohendrick Piñango to the Jays for former top 10 prospect in baseball, Nate Pearson.
Despite being a top-10 prospect in baseball at one point with great velocity, a nasty curveball, and a good slider, Pearson never figured it out in the Jays’ organization. That was in part due to injuries, some of the flukey variety, but also because of poor play. Before the trade, Pearson had a 5.63 ERA and a 4.65 FIP in 40 innings pitched, along with a 28 K% and a 9.3 BB%.
The flame-throwing righty has been better with the Cubs, as he has a 2.35 ERA and a 4.35 FIP in 15.1 innings pitched, along with a 26.8 K% and a 3.6 BB%. Moreover, the Cubs actually have a chance of making the postseason, as they are 8-2 in their last 10 games and are only 3.5 games out of the final Wild Card spot in the National League.
Even if the 2016 World Series Champions fail to make the postseason, Pearson will be a big part of their bullpen as he has two more seasons of arbitration left. He’s one of only two players the Blue Jays traded that are under contract for the 2025 season.
Yusei Kikuchi
Not every trade has a winner and a loser, and this trade could very well be an example of this. On the same day the Jays traded Turner to the Mariners, Toronto moved fan favourite Yusei Kikuchi to the Mariners’ American League West rival, the Houston Astros. In turn, the Jays received prospects Joey Loperfido, Jake Bloss, and Will Wagner.
Kikuchi’s first season with the Jays in 2022 was rough, but he became an important piece of Toronto’s rotation in 2023, posting a 3.86 ERA and a 4.12 FIP in 167.2 innings pitched. Prior to the trade, his numbers were okay, as the lefty had a 4.75 ERA and a 3.67 FIP in 115.2 innings pitched before the trade.
Aside from the first inning of his debut for the Astros, Kikuchi has been terrific for the perennial contender. In six starts, he has a 2.57 ERA and a 2.84 FIP in 35 innings pitched, along with a crazy 33.8 K% and a 7.2 BB%. The Astros have a 75-63 record and have a six-game lead over the Mariners.
As for Kikuchi, he’s set to become a free agent at the end of the season. Bringing him back would be great.
Trevor Richards
It hasn’t been great for all former Blue Jays that were traded at the trade deadline. Trevor Richards was traded to the Minnesota Twins for Jay Harry.
Heading into July, Richards was one of Toronto’s best relievers in a rather torn-up bullpen, but struggled mightily in July. Overall, he finished with a 4.64 ERA and a 4.42 FIP in 52.1 innings pitched, along with a 22.5 K% (down from 33.3% in 2023) with an 11 BB%.
Since joining the Twins, Richards has had the typical Trevor Richards Experience™, posting a 4.15 ERA and a 4.18 FIP in 13 innings pitched. However, he had a shocking 18.6 BB% along with a 22 K%. He’s also thrown seven wild pitches, one more than he did with Toronto. It goes to show you how important blocking is from your catcher.
On August 27, the Twins designated Richards for assignment. His MLB.com profile notes that he was assigned to the Twins’ Triple-A team, seemingly clearing waivers. As for the Twins, they currently hold onto the final Wild Card, owning a four and a half lead over the Red Sox.
Isiah Kiner-Falefa
After the pursuit of Shohei Ohtani ended in disappointment for the Jays, they landed Isiah Kiner-Falefa on a two-year deal. The reception wasn’t great, but the 29-year-old utility player was great with Toronto, as he slashed .292/.338/.420 with seven home runs in 281 plate appearances, along with a 4.6 BB% and a 13.2 K%.
It came as a bit of a shock when the Blue Jays traded Kiner-Falefa to the Pittsburgh Pirates for Charles McAdoo, as Kiner-Falefa is under contract for the 2025 season, with the Jays wishing to contend in 2025. Since joining the Pirates, Kiner-Falefa is slashing .228/.267/.325 with one homer in 120 plate appearances, along with a 1.7 BB% and a 20 K%. He has eight home runs this season, matching a career-high.
The Pirates will miss the postseason for the ninth-straight season, as they have a 64-73 record and are ten games back of the final Wild Card spot in the National League. Hopefully, for Kiner-Falefa’s sake, they will have a better 2025 season.
Kevin Kiermaier
Long-time Tampa Bay Ray and centre field defensive specialist Kevin Kiermaier signed a one-year deal with the Jays before the start of the 2023 season. He was terrific with the Jays that year, winning a Gold Glove while providing some offence with the bat.
It was a shock when they re-signed him coming into the 2024 season, though, and the results weren’t great prior to the trade with the Los Angeles Dodgers for Ryan Yarbrough. In 217 plate appearances with the Jays, Kiermaier slashed .195/.236/.310 with four home runs, along with a 4.6 BB% and a 30.4 K%.
The Dodgers acquired Kiermaier to be the outfield defensive specialist for their postseason run. His bat hasn’t been much better in Dodger Blue, as he’s slashing .200/.234/.333 with a home run in 49 plate appearances, but he has accumulated 1 Defensive Runs Saved and Outs Above Average in 129 innings in centre.
As to be expected, the Dodgers are the best team in baseball, as they have an 83-55 record and a five-game cushion on the San Diego Padres. Kiermaier is set to retire at the end of the season, and it’d be lovely if he could get a World Series ring because he’s the greatest defensive centre fielder of our generation.
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2024-09-03T16:20:15Z dg43tfdfdgfd