Blue Jays somehow get a player in return for recently cut reliever

While the Blue Jays are off to a solid 3-2 start to the season, one of the areas they clearly need to improve is the bullpen. The middle of the 'pen struggled in their season-opening series against the Orioles, which led some roster churn impacted some platers in the unit.

One of those players is Nick Robertson who was DFA'd a few days ago and seemed ticketed to an assignment at Triple-A Buffalo.

Fortunately, they were able to get something out of the 26-year-old right hander, as they announced Tuesday that they'd traded Robertson to the Astros in exchange for right handed pitcher Edinson Batista. He is a 22-year-old pitched in High-A and was not ranked among the Astros' top-40 prospects by MLB Pipeline since being ranked 26th last year.

Toronto was very lucky to find someone who would give something up for Robertson given that he struggled mightily in Triple-A last season. His major league numbers aren't bad (he had a 4.05 ERA with St. Louis and Toronto last year) but he also had a 6.87 ERA in Triple-A. That said, he still has one more minor league option available, so Houston will likely take advantage of his flexibility this year.

Blue Jays find trade partner for Nick Robertson

Batista has dealt with some struggles in the lower part of the minor leagues, but appears to have some good stuff to work with. He had an above-average fastball and slider, and also throws a curveball and changeup.

His problem has been command, as he's allowed a lot of walks and home runs in his career.

In 2024, his BB/9 reached 4.23 and his HR/9 got up to 1.41, both of which are very high.

He had a 5.01 ERA in 115 innings (26 appearances, 16 starts) along with a WHIP of 1.28 and 103 strikeouts. Opponents hit .217 against him.

The Blue Jays farm system is a bit week, so it never hurts to add another depth arm, especially for a player the team was already going to get rid of. Batista will likely start the season with High-A Vancouver, and it'll be worth watching to see which level he finishes the year at.