Key piece from Jordan Hicks trade returns to Blue Jays on new deal

Former top prospect Adam Kloffenstein is back with the Blue Jays after some time in St. Louis.

Mar 1, 2021; Dunedin, FL, USA; Toronto Blue Jays Adam Kloffenstein #84 poses during media day at TD Ballpark.
Mar 1, 2021; Dunedin, FL, USA; Toronto Blue Jays Adam Kloffenstein #84 poses during media day at TD Ballpark. | USA TODAY NETWORK

The Toronto Blue Jays brought back a familiar face on Tuesday. Well, perhaps not a familiar face to most fans, but a familiar name at least.

First reported by Ari Alexander of KPRC 2 Houston, the Blue Jays have signed right-hander Adam Kloffenstein to a minor league deal. The agreement reportedly also includes an invitation to spring training. The deal was quickly confirmed by FanSided's own Robert Murray.

Adam Kloffenstein, key piece from Jordan Hicks trade, back with Blue Jays on minor-league deal

If the name sounds familiar, that's because Kloffenstein was one of two Blue Jays pitching prospects sent to the St. Louis Cardinals in the 2023 trade deadline deal that brought flame-thrower Jordan Hicks to Toronto for the final two months of the season. The other prospect in the deal was right-hander Sem Robberse, who remains in the St. Louis organization.

You'll recall that Hicks signed a four-year contract to be a starter with the San Francisco Giants last offseason, leaving the Blue Jays with nothing to show from the trade, until now.

Kloffenstein, now 24, was a third-round draft pick out of high school by the Blue Jays in 2018 and rose as high as No. 8 in the organization's top prospects, as ranked by MLB Pipeline. He never got his shot in Toronto, but did make his MLB debut with the Cardinals in 2024. He threw only one inning in the majors, picking up a hold with a clean 1-2-3 frame.

Looming large on the mound, listed at 6-foot-5 and 245 pounds, Kloffenstein features a four-seam fastball that can touch 96 mph, a heavy sinker that sits in the low 90s, a slider, a curveball and a deceptive changeup.

In parts of six seasons in the minors, Kloffenstein has a 24-29 record in 106 games (104 starts) with a 4.47 ERA, 1.39 WHIP and 9.2 K/9. Last season in Triple-A, he posted a 4.74 ERA, marked by 7.4 K/9 and 4.1 BB/9 in 17 starts for the Memphis Redbirds.

The 2024 season was certainly a step back from his more successful 2023 campaign. In a season split between the Redbirds and the Blue Jays' Double-A affiliate in New Hampshire, Kloffenstein had a 7-6 record in 26 games (25 starts) with a 3.16 ERA, 9.8 K/9 and 3.8 BB/9.

As far as starting pitchers go in Toronto's system, Kloffenstein will be behind right-hander Jake Bloss and lefty Adam Macko in the team's depth chart, both of whom already have spots on the 40-man roster. He'll slot in with Eric Lauer as Triple-A depth with spring training invites, along with Double-A pitchers Lazaro Estrada and Ryan Jennings. Kloffenstein still has two MiLB options remaining, so if he does get added to the 40-man at some point this season, he provides the Blue Jays with flexibility.

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