Blue Jays trade speedy outfielder who debuted last year to division rival

Even after the trade deadline has passed, the Toronto Blue Jays remain active on the trade market. That sounds silly, but there are workarounds for the formal trade deadline where only specific players can be moved.

On Friday, the Blue Jays traded outfielder Cam Eden to the New York Yankees in exchange for cash considerations. The move was announced by the Yankees on social media (X link).

Blue Jays trade Cam Eden to the Yankees

Eden, a sixth-round pick by the Blue Jays in the 2019 MLB Draft, used his wheels and defensive smarts to make a fairly quick ascent through the team's minor league ranks. He's been a mainstay in the Buffalo Bisons' outfield dating back to last year and while he hasn't shown much on offense, he remains a legitimate stolen base threat and is a sharp defender in the outfield, mostly in center field.

Last year, he made it into the first five big league games of his career. He went 1-for-6 with a run scored and two strikeouts, mostly being used as a pinch-hitter or pinch-runner. It's easy to see why he was relied upon for his wheels, as he has 153 stolen bses in 173 attempts in his minor league career.

In 91 games this season, the 26-year-old recorded 19 extra-base hits (10 doubles, two triples, seven home runs) with 35 RBI and 34 of his own runs scored. Along the way, he stole 26 bases in 33 attempts while spending time in all three outfield spots.

How do post-deadline trades work?

Even though the official trade deadline has come and gone, trades can still come together, just at a much smaller scale. There's not going to be any major blockbusters going down, but they can still happen. Here's how:

• The player is playing on a minor league contract
• He was not on the team's 40-man roster at any point this season
• He was not on the MLB injured list at any point this season

For Eden, he falls under each of these categories. He was outrighted off of the Blue Jays' 40-man roster at the tail end of last season and was not on it at any point in the current campaign.