Under-the-radar deadline acquisition has been lights out since joining the Blue Jays 

For many years, Toronto Blue Jays fans everywhere have been well aware that pitcher Ryan Yarbrough had been a constant Jays killer during his time with the Tampa Bay Rays. It sure felt like every time he took the mound against Toronto, he would take his game to another level and pitch like Cy Young. His nine wins against the Jays was the most he had recorded against any MLB team in his career.

So when the Jays did Kevin Kiermaier a favour by trading him to the Los Angeles Dodgers at the deadline, it just so happened that they would receive their former nemesis Yarbrough in return. That move inadvertently brought up the question: with all the damage he had done against the Jays over the years, how well would he perform when he was actually part of the organization now?

Despite just a few weeks into his tenure with Toronto, it appears as though we now have the answer to that. Ever since joining the Jays at the trade deadline, Yarbrough had been lights out as their multi-innings reliever in their bullpen. In six appearances, he has posted a 1-0 record with a solid 2.57 ERA, 0.93 WHIP, .191 opponents batting average, while giving up just 4 earned runs with 4 walks and 11 strikeouts in 14 total innings pitched. More impressively, he has progressively gotten better and better as he has held his opponents scoreless in his past three outings while scattering 5 hits with 10 strikeouts over 10.1 innings of work.

With everything Yarbrough had done against the Jays in the past, he is sure paying back his dues so far in the best possible way. In doing so, he has all of a sudden become a potential reliable piece of the bullpen puzzle for the Jays if they decide to keep him beyond this season. What also makes him a highly attractive commodity is the fact that he has also had previous starting experience. Consequently, Yarbrough could give the Jays the flexibility to use him as a starter if the situation dictates itself. As a result, what supposedly was just an under-the-radar acquisition could end up paying huge dividends for the Jays right now and perhaps down the road.