Yankees Acquire Cam Eden From Blue Jays
The Yankees announced Friday that they’ve acquired outfielder Cam Eden in a trade sending cash back to the Blue Jays. He’s been assigned to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre for the time being.
Eden, 26, was Toronto’s sixth-round pick back in 2019. He briefly made his big league debut late last season, appearing in five games and going 1-for-6 with a pair of strikeouts. The Jays removed him from the 40-man roster after the season, outrighting him to Triple-A Buffalo. Because Eden was not on the Jays’ 40-man roster at any point this season, he’s eligible to be traded even after the major league trade deadline.
[Related: How to Acquire Players After the MLB Trade Deadline]
While Eden isn’t likely to factor heavily into the Yankees’ plans down the stretch, he’s a Triple-A piece at a time when Everson Pereira is out for the season and Jasson Dominguez could soon get a call to the big leagues. Eden is also a potential bench/pinch-running option in September or even in the postseason, if the Yankees choose to dedicate a roster spot to someone with that type of specialized skill set. He’s hitting just .198/.299/.322 with a 27.4% strikeout rate this season, but he’s also swiped 26 bags in 33 tries. This is his second run through the Triple-A level; Eden hit .257/.354/.333 there last year and stole 53 bases in 57 attempts.
Eden has played all three outfield spots in his pro career. The Cal product has spent the bulk of his time in center field. FanGraphs Eric Longenhagen ranked him at the back of the Jays’ top-34 prospects back in 2022, touting Eden’s plus speed, quick first step in center and baserunning acumen — while also noting that lack of offensive upside that limits his ceiling.
Blue Jays Outright Cam Eden
Blue Jays outfielder Cam Eden went unclaimed on waivers and has been assigned outright to Triple-A Buffalo, per a team announcement. Toronto had not previously announced a DFA for Eden, though that’s not required before placing a player on waivers. His outright frees up a spot on the team’s 40-man roster.
Eden, 25, was Toronto’s sixth-round pick in 2019 and made his big league debut in 2023. Appearing in just five games, the speedster went 1-for-6 with a single and a pair of strikeouts. The bulk of Eden’s season was spent in Buffalo, where he posted a .257/.354/.333 batting line. As evidenced by that stat line, Eden is quite light on power (just three home runs in 460 plate appearances) but draws walks at an above-average clip. He’s also a major threat on the bases, where he went 53-for-57 in attempted steals.
Overall, Eden hasn’t had a full season of above-average production at the dish in pro ball, with the exception of his 2021 campaign in High-A (.274/.382/.402). But he’s a plus runner with more than 2000 innings of professional experience in center field who’ll now stick with the Jays organization and give them some depth in the upper minors, should injuries create a necessity for help in the outfield, some speed off the bench and/or a right-handed bat.
Blue Jays Select Cam Eden, Designate Mason McCoy For Assignment
The Blue Jays announced that they have selected the contract of outfielder Cam Eden. Infielder Ernie Clement has been optioned in a corresponding active roster move with infielder Mason McCoy designated for assignment to open a 40-man spot.
Eden, 25, was a sixth-round selection of the Jays back in 2019 and has been working his way up the minor league ladder since then. He’s spent all of this year in Triple-A, hitting .257/.354/.333 in 460 plate appearances. That only amounts to a wRC+ of 81 but the Jays are likely interested in Eden as a speed-and-defense option off the bench, as he has stolen 53 bases in 57 attempts this year. He’s lined up at all three outfield spots but primarily in center field.
At the end of August, the Jays recalled Clement and selected McCoy as shortstop Bo Bichette went on the injured list with a quad strain. Bichette returned a couple of weeks ago, which bumped McCoy back to the minors and Clement to the bench. With Bichette back in the lineup on a regular basis and Santiago Espinal able to serve as a backup infielder, it seems the Jays decided Clement’s spot would be better utilized by having Eden on hand for his wheels.
As mentioned, the 28-year-old McCoy was brought up to cover for Bichette’s injury. He’s considered a glove-first infielder and was put into six games by the Jays but only was allowed one plate appearance, in which he struck out. He was acquired from the Mariners in a July trade that sent right-hander Trent Thornton the other way. In between the two organizations, McCoy has hit .221/.321/.372 in the minors this year for a wRC+ of 69 while playing second base, third base, shortstop and even a bit of left field.
The Jays will place him on waivers in the coming days. He still has a full slate of options and just a few days of service time, meaning he could be of interest for a club looking for some versatile depth, though he wouldn’t be postseason eligible on any club that puts in a claim since it’s after September 1. If he clears waivers, he will stick with the Jays as non-roster depth but would qualify for minor league free agency at season’s end.