The Blue Jays have parted company with utility infielder Isiah Kiner-Falefa and reliever Trevor Richards in the hours leading up to Major League Baseball’s 6 p.m. ET trade deadline on Tuesday.
Kiner-Falefa is off to the Pittsburgh Pirates. In return for IKF, the Jays received Double-A third baseman/outfielder Charles McAdoo. The Jays also sent cash consideration to the Pirates.
Richards is going to the Minnesota Twins for 22-year-old infielder Jay Harry, a sixth-round draft pick last year who has been plying his trade in High-A Cedar Rapids. Harry is not among the Twins’ top-20 prospects.
McAdoo, by all accounts, has a power element to his game, which should play well on a Blue Jays franchise that saw No. 1 hitting prospect Orelvis Martinez suspended 80 games by Major League Baseball for PED use.
By making seven trades, the Jays acquired 13 prospects, including 11 positional players.
The Jays signed IKF in free agency last season to a two-year deal worth $15 million with the hopes of filling the void left by Matt Chapman, who ended up signing with the San Francisco Giants.
IKF emerged as one of the Jays’ best players heading into the all-star break, capable of playing shortstop when Bo Bichette was injured and moving all the way up in the order to leadoff.
Earlier this month, IKF was placed on the injured list when he hurt his knee warming up prior to a game.
His rehab outing in Triple-A was about to expire, indicating he was close to returning to the big leagues.
Of the seven trades, the Jays moved five pending free agents. The two players with control were IKF and Nate Pearson, whom the Jays traded to the Chicago Cubs Saturday, the same day it was announced No. 1 pitching prospect Ricky Tiedemann will undergo a full TJ surgery to his left elbow.
To get anything for Richards is better than receiving nothing, given his status as a rental.
In 2021, the Jays acquired the righty in a trade with the Milwaukee Brewers.
He’s not an elite pitcher by any means, but Richards has been serviceable, filling in the role of opener when the Jays had no legitimate fifth starter, asked to serve as a bulk reliever and occasionally pitch in high leverage.
Richards, 31, should fit well with the Twins, who, unlike the Blue Jays, are in a bona fide race for a post-season berth.
In his final appearance with the Blue Jays, Richards pitched two runless innings in Baltimore.
A pro’s pro who has scuffled this season, Richards can be an asset when used in the right situation.
In terms of non-starters, no pitcher appeared in more innings with the Blue Jays this season than Richards, who gave Toronto 52.1 innings.
The Blue Jays’ seven trades began Friday, when reliever Yimi Garcia was shipped to the Seattle Mariners.
Meanwhile, Joey Loperfido, one of the players acquired from Houston in the Kikuchi deal, was expected to arrive in Baltimore in time for Tuesday night’s game and will, in all likelihood, be activated.
Jake Bloss, whom the Jays also acquired Monday as part of the package that sent Kikuchi to the Houston Astros, is en route to Toronto’s Dunedin-based pitching lab.
Once the Jays get a closer look at the right-hander, it’s expected Bloss, who was a late scratch from his scheduled start Monday when news of his trade leaked, will then head to Triple-A Buffalo before a possible appearance in the big leagues with his new team.
More to come …