The Toronto Blue Jays continue their firesale, as they’ve now traded Yusei Kikuchi away.
The pitcher has been dealt to the Houston Astros, as first reported by The Athletic’s Jim Bowden.
Kikuchi has started 22 games for the Blue Jays so far this season, his third with the team. He has a 4-9 record with a 4.75 ERA.
The Astros are tied for the AL West lead and thus seem likely to head to the postseason. Adding Kikuchi gives them another dependable arm who will be able to help down the stretch.
The #Astros are close to acquiring Yusei Kikuchi in deal that will include RHP Jake Bloss according to sources
— Jim Bowden⚾️ (@JimBowdenGM) July 29, 2024
The deal was then confirmed by ESPN’s Jeff Passan.
The Houston Astros have acquired left-hander Yusei Kikuchi from the Toronto Blue Jays, sources tell ESPN.
Deal is done.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) July 29, 2024
According to USA Today’s Bob Nightengale, the Blue Jays will be getting starter Jake Bloss and others in return.
The 23-year-old right-handed pitcher has played 11.2 innings in the majors so far this season across three starts. He’s spent most of his time in AA with the Corpus Christi Hooks where he had a 3-1 record and a 1.61 ERA in eight starts.
He’s seen as a strong young pitcher and is ranked as the No. 2 prospect in the Astros system per Baseball America.
Near completion:
The Houston Astros will get their veteran starter:
Yusei Kikuchi of the Blue Jays.
The Blue Jays will receive starter Jake Bloss in the return package.
The Astros had engaged earlier in talks with the Detroit Tigers for starter Jack Flaherty before pivoting to…— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) July 29, 2024
They’re also getting 1B/OF Joey Loperfido and Will Wagner per Passan.
Big, big return for the Blue Jays from the Astros, per sources: For Yusei Kikuchi, they'll receive RHP Jake Bloss, 1B/OF Joey Loperfido and IF Will Wagner, the son of former Houston great Billy Wagner.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) July 30, 2024
The Blue Jays, who sit in last place in the AL East with a 49-57 record, continue to stockpile future talent as their focus turns to becoming a contender over the next few years.
This is the latest in a flurry of trades for the struggling Blue Jays. Over the past day, they also moved Justin Turner to the Seattle Mariners and Danny Jansen to the Boston Red Sox.
The MLB’s trade deadline is 6 pm ET tomorrow, so the Blue Jays have been getting all of their business handled before then.
The Blue Jays, already a bad team this season, have lost several regular players. While they aren’t gunning for the post-season at this point, the rest of the year could be quite ugly.