Blue Jays: Looking back on an eventful hot stove season

Southpaw Swap

When the Blue Jays traded for Steven Matz before last season, no one was really sure how it would turn out. Sure, he had some good years under his belt, but he was also hit hard in 2020 and some thought he was finished.

Matz bounced back nicely in 2021 and parlayed that into a four-year, $44 million contract with the St. Louis Cardinals. Unfortunately, for Matz and the Cards, he hasn’t been able to maintain the success he enjoyed last season. He’s 3-3 with a 6.03 ERA, a -0.6 bWAR, and has pitched just 37.1 innings over his first nine starts.

Shortly after teams and players were allowed to communicate again, the Jays and Yusei Kikuchi agreed to terms on a three-year, $36 million deal. The move made a lot of sense as the club had lost two left-handed starters in free agency and Kikuchi had flashed good stuff over three seasons in Seattle.

Although he had some shaky moments out of the gate, Kikuchi has seemingly settled in and has enjoyed a solid May. He’s 2-0 with a 2.36 ERA and .177 opponent batting average for the month.  He’s recorded 31 strikeouts over 26.2 innings over those five starts. For the season he’s 2-1 with a 3.48 ERA with 44 K’s over 41.1 innings. He does lead the American League in walks with 24, so that will be an area that the coaching staff will continue to work with him on.

The trend with Kikuchi has been a bloated ERA in the season’s second half, so that’ll be something to keep an eye on.