Blue Jays deal Yusei Kikuchi hours after trading Justin Turner on a manic Monday
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Justin Turner was pulled before he could take the field in the second inning, while Yusei Kikuchi didn’t have to wait for any out to be recorded when informed of his trade.
Manic Monday took on a new meaning almost from the moment the Blue Jays arrived at Oriole Park at Camden Yards, site of a scheduled double dip that began with the Orioles crushing the visitors to the tune of 11-5.
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Blue Jays deal Yusei Kikuchi hours after trading Justin Turner on a manic Monday Back to video
The story, by far, was the wheeling and dealing the Blue Jays managed to pull off, the first trade that sent the veteran hitter Turner to the Seattle Mariners, the second involving Kikuchi heading to the Houston Astros, a deal that was consummated before the start of a weather-delayed night cap.
The return for Turner, who was en route to Boston to join his new Mariners teammates, was minor-league outfielder RJ Schreck.
Toronto also threw in cash considerations.
The trade for Kikuchi brings rookie Jake Bloss into the Jays’ fold, a highly touted right-hander who immediately jumps near the top of the rankings in Toronto’s farm system.
In addition to Bloss, the Jays also received infielder Will Wagner and outfielder Joey Loperfido from the Astros.
Bloss was a surprise scratch an hour before first pitch of Monday’s series opener against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
He made his big-league debut on June 21 and has started three games for the Astros, giving up nine earned runs with 11 strikeouts in 11. 2 innings.
Yimi Garcia, Nate Pearson, Danny Jansen and now Turner and Kikuchi, the Jays began their shopping Friday night and still have until Tuesday at 6 p.m. ET when MLB’s trade clock expires.
At the same time, it’s hard to see the Jays make a more impactful move than the one involving Bloss, a legitimate arm coming to a team that is woefully thin on arms.
Still, one supposes pending free agents Kevin Kiermaier, who, despite nursing a sore hip, was back the lineup in Monday’s night cap, and Trevor Richards, who pitched two scoreless innings in the first game, can be dealt.
If one or both do get traded, the return will be minimal.
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Bloss, whom the Astros selected in the third round last year, rose quickly through the minors and emerged as welcome sight to a Houston starting rotation ravaged by injuries.
A mid-game trade, a trade before a game went into a weather delay, two pitchers in starter Yariel Rodriguez and reliever Yerry Rodriguez jettisoned to triple-A following two porous outings, it was quite the Monday for the Blue Jays.
Before the deal to land Bloss, the Jays had essentially acquired eight prospects in return for four players, four of whom were pending free agents.
At least Bloss can immediately move into Toronto’s rotation.
He can’t do any worse than Yariel Rodriguez, who couldn’t even make it out of the first inning, walking four. His final pitch struck the face of Orioles catcher James McCann, which left McCann a bloody mess (and all credit to McCann for being able to play all nine innings). Rodriguez’s namesake Yerry Rodriguez gave up a monster moon shot later in the game.
Kikuchi knew a trade was coming.
When he exited his final start last Friday at Rogers Centre, Kikuchi was emotional.
Turner also knew his time would end.
“It was fantastic from start to finish,’’ he told the assembled media in Baltimore during Game 1. “This is a first-class organization.”
Like virtually every free agent the Jays have signed in recent years, Turner spoke of the allure of joining a team with high aspirations.
“That’s disappointing to me because that’s not what I came here for,’’ he added.
“I came here to help us win and make a post-season run. It feels like I let an entire country down, really.”
He had a good start to his days in Toronto before finding his groove at the plate.
He then scuffled, but he did regain his stroke in recent weeks.
Kikuchi’s season was one of highs and lows, including striking out a career-high 13 hitters just before the all-star break when the Blue Jays were playing the host San Francisco Giants.
Kikuchi has not been at his best in his past three starts.
He’ll join a true contending team in Houston.
Turner joins a Mariners team that has been quite active in the days leading up to Tuesday.
Some chatter had the M’s interested in Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
Any deal involving Vlad Jr. would alter the Jays’ franchise.
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He is under contract, though, for one season.
In Game 1 Monday, he hit his team-leading 20th home run of the season, seventh in the past 11 games as he reached his 150th-career long ball.
Clearly, all the attention will now focus on Vlad Jr. and whether the Blue Jays can agree to a long-term deal.
Whether it was Garcia, Jansen, Turner or Kikuchi, time was not on their side, especially on a struggling team that will not appear in the playoffs this season.
Jonatan Clase was one of the players acquired from Seattle for Garcia, a speedster who did play in the show this season.
Of the three prospects acquired in the Jansen deal, the one with the most upside appears to be Cutter Coffee.
Bloss is a different trade acquisition, the kind of player the big-league club desperately needs.
How he performs remains to be seen.
It’s never a bad deal when a player on an expiring contract nets a team a young promising pitcher who has started in the big leagues.
At least the Blue Jays have become interesting.
Whether they can eventually return to a winning team remains the big picture.
At least they exhausted their options knowing several players were pending free agents.
In the case of Pearson, who isn’t a pending free agent, the Jays saw all they could.
He needed a change in scenario and perhaps joining the Chicago Cubs will unlock his potential.
By all accounts, Bloss fits the role of a mid-rotation starter.
He’s the one who may move the needle.
fzicarelli@postmedia.com
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