Blue Jays land additional pitching depth in minor trade with Phillies

Thursday evening was City Connect night for the Toronto Blue Jays and players around the league were so excited to see them that players are flocking to suit up for the organization. According to Sportsnet's Shi Davidi (X link), the Jays acquired the league's coldest pitcher, Ryan Burr, in a trade with the Philadelphia Phillies.

As of right now, the return is not known, but since Burr is a non-40-man pitcher and was in Triple-A with the Phillies, it's likely to be a low-level non-prospect heading to Philly or simply cash considerations.

With this move, the Blue Jays appear to be leaning fully into the "buying" notion instead of selling assets. This is said with tongue-in-cheek, of course, as Burr's acquisition is not likely to move the needle much one way or the other, but he is going to fill a void in the Blue Jays' system that has desperately needed a warm body. Not just a body, though, but one with big league experience that can be called upon to join the major league roster down the line if that experience is needed.

Blue Jays acquire Ryan Burr from the Phillies

Burr, 30 as of two days ago, is a right-handed reliever who was drafted by the Rangers in the 33rd round of the 2012 MLB Draft and later by the Diamondbacks in the fifth round in 2015. He spent the majority of his time ascending through the minor leagues as a member of the White Sox, with whom he debuted in 2018.

Burr wound up making a total of 66 big league appearances with the White Sox spread across 2018-2022. He posted a respectable 4.08 ERA and an above-average ERA+ of 109. He's historically not been much of a strikeout pitcher, but he has also done a decent job of limiting base hits.

After spending last year with the Triple-A affiliate of the Rays, Burr signed a minor league deal with the Phillies this past offseason. He made 15 appearances for them and had a 2.16 ERA with a whopping 29 strikeouts in just 16.2 innings of work, good for a K/9 of 15.7, easily the highest of his career. The Blue Jays must've seen just enough to determine that he was the type of talent they needed in their high-minors affiliates.

Again, Burr is not going to require a spot on the 40-man roster, but it's entirely possible we see him on a big league mound before the year is over. He'll join the likes of Mike Mayers, Beau Sulser and Aaron Sanchez as non-roster players occupying spots in Triple-A.