Blue Jays net two righties for Tellez

The Toronto Blue Jays acquired right-handers Trevor Richards and Bowden Francis from the Milwaukee Brewers in exchange for infielder Rowdy Tellez on Tuesday.

Richards, 28, is involved in his second trade this season, having gone from Tampa Bay to Milwaukee as part of a four-player deal on May 21. The 6-foot-2, 195-pound right-hander made six relief appearances for the Rays and 15 for the Brewers, combining to go 3-0 with a save while keeping a 3.69 ERA and fanning 41 batters over 31 2/3 innings of work. The native of Aviston, Ill., has also pitched for the Marlins as part of his four-year career, amassing a 4.34 ERA with a 1.38 WHIP across 52 starts and 33 relief appearances.

Though manager Charlie Montoyo doesn’t know when Richards will be able to join the team, he is already anticipating the impact the righty will make in the bullpen.

“He's the right guy,” Montoyo said. “He's a good guy. He's a guy who does a good job. He did a good job for [the Rays] last year, and he was doing a good job for the Brewers. So, I expect the same for us.”

The trade provides the Toronto bullpen with much-needed help with the addition of Richards, who will be given a chance at high-leverage situations once he joins the club.

“He's been in our division, so we’ve seen him and he's a good pitcher,” Montoyo said. “I'm glad we're getting Richards. We're looking to improve our bullpen, so that's a good move. … Now Richards is going to help us out.”

Francis, 25, has gone 7-3 with a 3.62 ERA in 11 starts between Double-A Biloxi and Triple-A Nashville this season. The 6-foot-5, 225-pound righty was drafted by the Brewers in the seventh round in 2017 out of Chipola College (Fla.). Francis has accumulated a 22-23 record with a 4.23 ERA in 63 starts and six relief outings over four Minor League campaigns.

Tellez, 26, has batted .209 with four doubles, one triple, four home runs and eight RBIs across 50 games for the Blue Jays this season. The California native was selected by Toronto in the 30th round of the 2013 MLB Draft. The 6-foot-4, 255-pound left-handed hitter is in his fourth Major League season and owns a .241 career average with 37 doubles, one triple, 37 home runs and 99 RBIs over 219 contests.

“I texted him and I told him, ‘I'm happy for you and I will miss you. But I am happy for you,’” said Montoyo. “'It’s a fresh start, go crush the National League.' That's what my message to him was. I love Rowdy. I'm happy for him that he gets a fresh start. He's gonna do well over there.”