Yusei Kikuchi’s free agent landing spot proves Blue Jays won trade with the Astros

Back when the Toronto Blue Jays dealt starter Yusei Kikuchi to the Houston Astros at the 2024 trade deadline, many believed that it was a fleece of epic proportions with the huge package that they received in return. Especially if the Astros ultimately failed to win the World Series and Kikuchi would leave after being just a rental, the Jays would practically be laughing all the way to the bank.

That was exactly what ended up happening when Kikuchi signed a three-year, $63 million contract with the Los Angeles Angels. As the Astros painfully fret about their loss, the Jays can still cherish the top prospects that they have now added to their system as a result of the trade.

Yusei Kikuchi’s free agent landing spot proves the Blue Jays won the trade with the Astros

Among the three prospects, Joey Loperfido was the one who received regular playing time with the Jays down the stretch after coming over from Houston. Despite still being a work in progress with regard to his plate discipline, Loperfido showed some promise with his power potential at times, recording eight doubles, three triples, two home runs and nine RBI in 43 games played with Toronto. 

No. 3 prospect in the organization, pitcher Jake Bloss, despite struggling a bit playing for the Jays’ Triple-A affiliate Buffalo to finish off the year, posted a solid 3.18 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, with 88 strikeouts in 93 1/3 innings pitched over 21 starts in his 2024 minor league season. With his high upside, Bloss could come into play for the Jays sometime during the 2025 season.

Finally, the best performer of the three return trade pieces so far is No. 18 prospect Will Wagner. He had a promising MLB debut that surely got the Jays and their fanbase excited. In 24 games, Wagner compiled an impressive.305 batting average and .788 OPS, with eight runs scored, six doubles, two home runs and 11 RBI. His brief stint was highlighted by his team record-breaking five-hit game against the Minnesota Twins on Aug. 31. If it hadn’t been for a left knee injury that prematurely ended his season, who knows what else he might have accomplished with the Jays.

As for Kikuchi in his short tenure with the Astros? He still managed to provide them with some strong starts down the stretch, amassing a solid 5-1 record, 2.70 ERA and 0.93 WHIP with 76 strikeouts in just 60 innings pitched over 10 regular season games. However, with the Astros’ early playoff exit as a result of a sweep at the hands of the Detroit Tigers in the AL Wild Card Series, Kikuchi never got his opportunity to shine in the postseason for Houston.

So, in summary, the Jays now have three top prospects that could play significant roles for the team going forward in exchange for 10 total starts made by Kikuchi with the Astros. To make matters worse for Houston, Kikuchi has now gone to their despised division rivals, the Angels, and will be facing them for the next three years. Let’s just say the Blue Jays have now officially won the trade by a landslide, as it appears as though Jays general manager Ross Atkins finally got it done for once.

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