Blue Jays trade IKF, Kiermaier, Richards in three separate deals
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BALTIMORE -- The buzzer just sounded on one of the busiest Trade Deadlines in Blue Jays history.
Soon after the Blue Jays traded reliever Trevor Richards to the Twins for infielder Jay Harry, they traded utilityman Isiah Kiner-Falefa to the Pirates with cash considerations for third-base prospect Charles McAdoo. Then, with a second left on the clock, the Blue Jays have agreed to a deal to send outfielder Kevin Kiermaier to the Dodgers for reliever Ryan Yarbrough.
TRADE DETAILS:
Toronto gets: 3B Charles McAdoo (via PIT), INF Jay Harry (via MIN), LHP Ryan Yarbrough (via LAD)
Pittsburgh gets: INF Isiah Kiner-Falefa, cash considerations
Minnesota gets: RHP Trevor Richards
Los Angeles gets: OF Kevin Kiermaier
Kiner-Falefa was in his first year of a two-year, $15 million deal and quickly emerged as one of the Blue Jays’ most important players this season, both on the field and off. The 29-year-old was just finishing up a Triple-A rehab assignment for a knee injury, but was hitting .292 with a .758 OPS for the Blue Jays while playing excellent defense.
“That was a very tough one,” said GM Ross Atkins. “The biggest factor was the aggressiveness of the other team. We were not looking to move IKF. We did not bring up his name to others. There were several teams that approached us about him. I was surprised that we crossed the line.”
McAdoo breaks the mold of the hitting prospects the Blue Jays typically target, coming with loud physical tools and exciting power upside. There’s some risk naturally involved with that, but McAdoo has hit .315 with 14 home runs and a .932 OPS this season, earning a promotion to Double-A. McAdoo entered the season as Pittsburgh’s No. 29 prospect, but was about to jump into their top-15 after a fantastic four months.
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He now aligns with other Trade Deadline additions like Jonatan Clase, Yohendrick Pinango, Josh Rivera, Eddinson Paulino and Will Wagner, all position players who enter the organization at Double-A or Triple-A, providing a next wave of prospects that won’t take years to reach the big leagues.
Moving Kiner-Falefa was no easy decision for the Blue Jays, but this does open up playing time down the stretch for several players this organization needs in 2025 and beyond. Leo Jiménez will continue to see plenty of time at shortstop with Bo Bichette out, and Spencer Horwitz will be in the lineup nearly every day, which is where he belongs. The biggest benefactor will be Addison Barger, who will now get more reps at third base as he auditions for a larger role next season.
In the Richards deal, the Blue Jays’ bullpen loses yet another mainstay. Richards was the ultimate rubber arm in Toronto, bouncing between roles without blinking over four seasons with the organization.
“Trevor has been such an underrated part of our bullpen for the past couple of years,” manager John Schneider said, “Whether it’s opening, starting, relieving, closing, leverage, he takes the ball every single day. Trevor understood this was a possibility and he’s been through it before.”
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Harry, a 22-year-old infielder, was a sixth-round pick in last year’s MLB Draft, so the Blue Jays would still have fresh scouting on him. He’s hit .214 with eight home runs and a .655 OPS in High-A this season.
With Richards gone -- right behind Yimi García and Nate Pearson -- the Blue Jays’ bullpen is at the point where it needs to hand out name tags as of Wednesday morning. Enter Ryan Yarbrough, who this organization is all too familiar with from his time with the Rays.
The 32-year-old Yarbrough was recently designated for assignment by the Dodgers, but had a 3.74 ERA over 67 1/3 innings. The Blue Jays saw plenty of Yarbrough when he pitched for Tampa Bay, logging serious innings as a swingman who always seemed to have their number. Over 95 2/3 innings against the Blue Jays, he owns a career 3.52 ERA.
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This move isn’t necessarily about the future for the Blue Jays, but it doesn’t need to be. Kiermaier, who plans to retire at the end of the 2024 season, gets one last crack at winning a World Series with the Dodgers, as he can provide speed on the bases and is still one of the best defenders in the sport.
Yarbrough’s job, on the other hand, will be to eat innings before he hits free agency this winter. The Blue Jays’ bullpen has been stripped down to the studs, and without many options for a true long man, he’ll fit right in as a bulk pitcher, regardless of whether that comes as a starter or reliever. As the Blue Jays pivot to competing in 2025 again this offseason, the bullpen will clearly be one of their biggest areas of focus.