Blue Jays: Looking at former prospects traded at the deadline under Ross Atkins

Austin Martin SS/OF

Traded to the Minnesota Twins as part of the package for RHP Jose Berrios – July/30/2021

Falling to the Blue Jays at #5 in the 2020 MLB Draft, SS/OF Austin Martin was held in high regard after being drafted considering not many believed he would be on the draft board when Ross Atkins and co. stepped up to the podium.

While his professional debut was delayed until 2021, Martin started the year in AA New Hampshire and through 56 games and 196 at-bates, the righty-batter authored a .281/.424/.383 slash line with 10 doubles, two triples, two home runs, and a .807 OPS while splitting time between centre field and shortstop.

The Jays were using him in a few different positions given Bo Bichette entrenched at shortstop but Martin ended up being included in the Jose Berrios acquisition at the 2021 trade deadline, one of the biggest trades of the season. At the time of the trade, Martin was within the Top #5 of the Blue Jays prospect rankings and finished the year ranked at #36 in the Top 100 list.

The Florida product started the 2022 campaign in AA this year in the Twins organization and has seen a slight dip compared to his days with the Blue Jays, authoring a .691 OPS with just one home run and 18 RBI with 22 stolen bases so far this year. The Twins have him at shortstop right now with a few starts at second base and centre field mixed in, sporting a .896 fielding percentage on the left side of second this year.

He has fallen off the Top 100 list but is still the Twins’ #2 ranked prospect. While the 2022 ETA may be a stretch considering he is still in AA and isn’t boasting the best numbers, he could factor in sometime next season especially if he can make it to AAA before the end of this season.

Simeon Woods-Richardson – RHP

Traded to the Minnesota Twins as part of the package for RHP Jose Berrios – July/30/2021

A product of the Marcus Stroman trade back in 2019, right-hander Simeon Woods-Richardson was one of the top pitching prospects in the organization alongside Alek Manoah until he was traded at the deadline last year.

Woods-Richardson had a great introduction in the Jays system to finish off the 2019 season but struggled towards the mid-point of the 2021 campaign after a strong start at the AA level. Through his first seven starts, SWR allowed only nine earned runs through 30.0 innings with 48 strikeouts. He also missed a few starts when he was with the US Olympics team but did not make any appearances during the tournament.

Prior to the Jose Berrios deal, Woods-Richardson was struggling on the mound, allowing 20 earned runs through 15.1 innings of work and seeing his ERA blossom to 5.76 ERA in New Hampshire. After the deal, Woods-Richardson finished the year in the Twins AA affiliate and had one rough outing out of four to finish out the season, allowing six earned runs through 1.2 innings during the appearance.

In 2022, Woods-Richardson has pitched to a 3.40 ERA through 11 starts and 53.0 innings, striking out batters at a 9.0 K/9 clip with a 3.2 BB/9. He is currently off the Top 100 list and is the Twins’ second-ranked pitching prospect sitting at fourth overall in the organization. A promotion to AAA by season’s end will have him on track for a 2023 ETA.