Ranking top Blue Jays trade chips by how likely they are to be dealt at the deadline

7. Trevor Richards

For Trevor Richards, he had been a vital part of the Jays’ bullpen the past few seasons. That was because despite some of his on-and-off struggles, he was always willing to play the role that the manager put him in. Whether it be filling in as an opener, a middle innings eater, or even closing out games, Richards never backed down from the challenge. He managed to accomplish all that while maintaining a respectable ERA and high strikeout rate, so what more can a team ask for.

However, Richards has gone cold at the worst possible time, occurring at the most inopportune moment right before the trade deadline. In his past seven appearances, he has posted a 1-2 record with a horrific 14.85 ERA, 2.40 WHIP, giving up 11 earned runs on 12 hits in just 6.2 innings pitched. More worrisome was the fact that he has failed to keep his opponents off the scoreboard for six of his past seven outings. For a contending team looking to stabilize their relief corps for the stretch run, this disastrous stretch for Richards may be enough to turn many of them away. But for someone that has averaged close to a 30% strikeout rate in each of his past three seasons, a prospective team that still highly regards his strikeout ability and flexibility may end up taking a flyer on him.