Blue Jays trade fan favourite pitcher to Astros for loaded prospect package

With the trade deadline less than 24 hours away, the Toronto Blue Jays have been at work once again. This time, the domino that has fallen is starting pitcher Yusei Kikuchi, who has been widely speculated as one of the pieces Toronto would sell.

On Monday night, he was traded to the AL West division-leading Houston Astros. With his contract set to expire at the end of the 2024 season, it was a foregone conclusion that Kikuchi was on the way out, as it was just a matter of when. In return, the Jays will receive a package centered around top pitching prospect Jake Bloss.

Kikuchi’s tenure with the Jays was filled with many ups and downs after he signed a three-year, $36 million contract back during the 2021-22 offseason. He had a disastrous first year in 2022, in which his ongoing struggles even led to his relegation to the bullpen towards the end of the season.

However, Kikuchi bounced back in a big way with a huge 2023 season in which he set career-bests in wins (11), ERA (3.86), WHIP (1.27), innings pitched (167.2) and strikeouts (181). In fact, he was perhaps the Jays best pitcher down the stretch last year in helping them reach the playoffs for the second consecutive season.

This season, though, has been a mixed bag for Kikuchi. He started off 2024 strong, compiling a stellar 2.64 ERA, 1.12 WHIP with 61 strikeouts in 58 innings over his first 10 starts, but with the uncertainty of his future with the ball club up in the air in recent weeks, it no doubt affected his game to some extent. Not only has his ERA ballooned to 4.75 and his WHIP to 1.34 in the process, but he hadn’t posted a win since June 11 against the Milwaukee Brewers. Nevertheless, there’s no question that when Kikuchi is on his game, he could be as dominant as some of the best starters out there.

As for what the Jays are getting in return, Bloss is a former third-round pick of the Astros back in the 2023 MLB Draft. Currently ranked No. 9 on Houston’s top prospects list (according to MLB Pipeline), he has rapidly ascended the Astros’ minor league system, moving up an astonishing five levels within a span of one year. Within that time, Bloss amassed a 1.91 ERA and 0.95 WHIP with 86 strikeouts in 84.2 innings of work over 19 starts. He had impressed and matured so much that he has even made his MLB debut already this season with Houston, recording 11 big league strikeouts in 11.2 innings pitched in three starts to date.

Not only that, but the package was update just moments ago. In an absolute stunner, the Astros are sending two more prospects, including the impressive Joey Loperfido to Toronto.

For a Jays team that had been desperately looking for valuable young starting depth that was MLB-ready, it appears as though they now finally have one in Bloss. Hopefully, this will be the first step in the right direction as the Jays work to retool and aim to become competitive again for the 2025 season.