Pirates completely fumble 2024 deadline deal with Blue Jays.

The Toronto Blue Jays were sellers at the 2024 trade deadline and one of the moves General Manager Ross Atkins made was to send utility player Isiah Kiner-Falefa to the Pittsburgh Pirates. In exchange, Toronto recieved middle infield prospect Charles McAdoo. Just over a year later, the Pirates have completely flopped on this deal as not only did they fail to find a trade partner for IKF at this years deadline, they placed Kiner-Falefa on waivers and he was claimed by Toronto on Sunday afternoon according to multiple reports.

The Blue Jays now have both the player they traded and the prospect in their system as the Pirates continue to be a laughing stock franchise as this was clearly a cost cutting move to save a measly $250,000. There was a clause in Kiner-Falefa's contract that would have paid him that money as bonus had he reached another 81 plate appearances. It's an embarrassment to the game when an organization can operate so poorly for so many years, but their loss is clearly Toronto's gain.

Pirates completely lose 2024 deadline deal as Blue Jays snag back utility player off waivers.

Where Kiner-Falefa fits on this Toronto team remains to be seen. The Blue Jays have a number of position players that have taken some bumps and bruises over the last few weeks, including Ernie Clement who suffered a hairline fracture in his hand earlier this week. However, the 2025 Heart and Huslte Award winner was back in the lineup on Sunday in the series finale against the Brewers.

While Kiner-Falefa has pretty much played everywhere around the diamond, including in the outfield during his time in New York, he has played exclusively at third and shortstop since moving to Pittsburgh - while Toronto utilized him at second and in centre a few times last year before the trade. IKF has been worth 1.5 bWAR this season with a slash line of .264/.300/.332 with one home run and an OPS of .632 in 119 games played.

While not being a massive addition, it certainly bolsters Toronto's depth with a player capable of producing at the MLB level, without the Blue Jays having to burn some service time by calling up a prospect. Speaking of prospects, McAdoo has had a good season in Double-A with New Hampshire. The 23-year-old has hit 16 home runs, with a .748 OPS, in 108 games played.