Blue Jays, Rays finalize the details of the Eric Sogard trade

The Blue Jays have acquired Curtis Taylor and Edisson Gonzalez from the Tampa Bay Rays to complete the Eric Sogard trade.

According to an official team announcement, the Blue Jays have acquired pitchers Curtis Taylor and Edisson Gonzalez from the Tampa Bay Rays as the two players to be named later in the Eric Sogard trade earlier this summer. The 33-year-old veteran joined the Rays on July 28th.

Taylor, 24, hails from Port Coquitlam, British Columbia and spent the 2019 season with the Double-A Montgomery Biscuits, pitching to an ERA of 3.06 in 17.2 frames, striking out 16 and walking five.

A product of the University of British Columbia, Taylor is not ranked on Tampa Bay’s Top 30 Prospects list on MLB Pipeline, and did not appear on the list at any point throughout his career.

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He was, however, listed as the organization’s No. 37 prospect on Fangraphs’ list of the organization’s Top 54 prospects earlier this calendar year.

On Taylor, Fangraphs’ Eric Longenhagen and Kiley McDaniel wrote that he appears to be a “standard two-pitch middle reliever”. Additionally, Wander Rays listed him as their No. 32 prospect in their January 2019 rankings.

Gonzalez, 19, spent the 2019 season with the Short-Season A Hudson Valley Renegades of the New York-Pennsylvania League, tossing 62.1 innings of 2.45 ERA ball, striking out 77 and walking just 13.

The native of Aguadulce, Panama spent the 2018 season split between the Appalachian and Gulf Coast Leagues (Rookie) and, just like Taylor, did not appear on any of Pipeline’s lists.

Standing at just 5’10”, Gonzalez thrived immediately upon joining the Dominican Summer League Rays in 2017 and carries a career MiLB ERA of 2.72 in 158.2 total innings. His career WHIP is 1.08.

Since joining the Rays, Sogard, 33, has slashed .307/.371/.477 in 27 games, adding three homers, nine RBI, six doubles and a pair of stolen bases to go along with 13 runs scored across 88 at-bats.