Toronto Blue Jays give second chance to pitcher they traded away
The Toronto Blue Jays are hoping to unlock the magic in a second go-around with one of their pitching prospects.
Today, the Blue Jays and right-hander Adam Kloffenstein have agreed to a minor league deal with an invite to spring training, as per Ari Alexander of KPRC 2.
It’s the second time that Kloffenstein has been in the Jays organization, previously having been drafted by them in 2018. Drafted out of Magnolia High School in Texas, he spent the first five years of his pro career with Toronto before being shipped off in a midseason deal.
In 2023, Toronto included him in a trade that sent him to the St. Louis Cardinals in exchange for reliever Jordan Hicks, along with Sem Robberse. He’d spent time with the Vancouver Canadians and New Hampshire Fisher-Cats while with the Jays organization, while also making a brief stop with the Gulf Coast League Blue Jays.
But it might still be a long way before the 24-year-old becomes a regular part of the Jays’ major league roster — if that ever is to happen.
Despite making his MLB debut this past season, he’s still rather inexperienced at the top flight. After just a lone inning with the Cardinals, Kloffenstein was non-tendered in November.
He put up a 4.74 earned run average with Triple-A Memphis last season, spending 89.1 innings at that level.
While he’s been used primarily as a starting pitcher during his time in the minor leagues — he’s only come out of the bullpen for two games in his whole career — Kloffenstein did come into his only major league game as a reliever.
It’s not exactly clear where he’ll end up following spring training with the Blue Jays, but if we had to guess based on his previous history, it’s most likely he’ll salvage a spot in Triple-A Buffalo and try to work his way up to the major leagues.
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