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Blue Jays Rumors

Latest On Frankie Montas

By Steve Adams | July 31, 2022 at 12:25pm CDT

TODAY: The Yankees, Cardinals, and Blue Jays seem to be the top suitors for Montas, as Jon Morosi of MLB Network writes that the right-hander’s “market is focused on” these three teams.

JULY 30: With Luis Castillo now on his way to Seattle following last night’s trade to the Mariners, Frankie Montas stands out as perhaps the best and likeliest arm left to be traded before Tuesday’s 5pm CT deadline. The majority of teams that held interest in Castillo are involved, to varying extents, in the Montas market, so it’s possible that last night’s deal begins to accelerate the pace of the pitching market overall.

The Yankees, for instance, were known to be Castillo suitors but have now made Montas their top target according to both Bob Nightengale of USA Today and Jon Heyman of the New York Post (Twitter links). The Cardinals, who never seemed likely to be able to land Castillo from a fellow NL Central club, are continuing their pursuit of Montas, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch writes. Their pursuit, however, is complicated a bit by simultaneous interest in Nationals superstar Juan Soto; Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic writes in his latest column that some of the Cardinals prospects the A’s are targeting in return for Montas are also coveted by the Nationals.

Several other clubs were linked to both Montas and Castillo in the past week, including the Twins, Padres and Blue Jays. There are also surely other clubs on the periphery of the market whose presence isn’t publicly known. Both Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News and Rosenthal have indicated, for instance, that the Rangers had engaged with the Reds in talks regarding Castillo. Whether the A’s would seriously entertain sending Montas to a division rival isn’t clear, but it’s telling that Texas is in the market for arms that can be controlled into 2023.

The Athletics’ asking price on Montas was reportedly quite high even before last night’s trade of Castillo potentially upped Oakland’s leverage in talks. In profiling the Cardinals’ current rotation needs, Katie Woo of The Athletic wrote (prior to the Castillo deal) that Oakland is believed to be seeking a pair of top prospects and “potentially a currently rostered player with substantial team control remaining.” It’s a steep ask, to be sure, though not an unrealistic one given Montas’ trade value.

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Cincinnati Reds New York Yankees Oakland Athletics Seattle Mariners St. Louis Cardinals Texas Rangers Toronto Blue Jays Frankie Montas Juan Soto Luis Castillo

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Blue Jays Interested In Michael Fulmer

By Mark Polishuk | July 30, 2022 at 6:11pm CDT

  • The Blue Jays are one of the teams showing interest in Tigers reliever Michael Fulmer, according to MLB.com’s Jon Morosi (via Twitter).  The former AL Rookie of the Year has revived his career with two strong years as a relief pitcher, and is a natural trade chip for the struggling Tigers since Fulmer is scheduled for free agency after the season.  Toronto’s bullpen has been generally solid but somewhat inconsistent, and Fulmer would help reinforce the high-leverage innings in front of All-Star closer Jordan Romano.
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Atlanta Braves Chicago Cubs Chicago White Sox Cleveland Guardians Detroit Tigers Kansas City Royals Philadelphia Phillies Toronto Blue Jays David Peralta David Robertson Michael A. Taylor Michael Fulmer Mychal Givens Zach Plesac

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Latest On Trade Markets For Luis Castillo, Frankie Montas

By Steve Adams and Anthony Franco | July 27, 2022 at 5:39pm CDT

Reds righty Luis Castillo and A’s righty Frankie Montas are not and never have been teammates, but their trade markets have been near inextricably linked dating back to the offseason. That’s understandable, given the similarities between them. The 29-year-olds are separated by just three months in age, by about $2MM in salary and are both controlled through the end of the 2023 season. Statistically, they’re nearly identical — although Castillo has handled the larger workload in recent years. Both pitch for clubs that were more focused on cutting payroll and stashing prospects than on putting together a 2022 winner. As such, both are obvious trade candidates (and have been since the winter).

The Cardinals, Mariners and Yankees have been the three most aggressive teams on the Montas/Castillo front, ESPN’s Jeff Passan reports, with the Twins, Blue Jays and Padres each also in the fold to varying extents. Jon Heyman of the New York Post also hears the Yankees are involved on both hurlers and calls adding a starter “a priority” for New York.

Bolstering the rotation is similarly going to be a key objective for St. Louis. The Cardinals have lost Jack Flaherty and Steven Matz to injury in recent weeks. Flaherty is already on the 60-day injured list and will be out until at least late August due to a shoulder strain. Matz tore the MCL in his left knee over the weekend. John Denton of MLB.com wrote a few days ago that Matz was optimistic about avoiding season-ending surgery, but he’s expected to be sidelined into September even if he can rehab without going under the knife.

The Cardinals also faced a rotation shortage at last summer’s deadline. They addressed that rather modestly, acquiring veterans Jon Lester and J.A. Happ as strike-throwing stabilizers at the back of the rotation. Robert Murray of FanSided reported last night the front office was looking for a higher-impact hurler than a Lester/Happ type this year, and a pursuit of Castillo and/or Montas certainly aligns with that assessment. Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, meanwhile, writes that the Cardinals have explored the market for both impending free agents and starters with multiple remaining seasons of club control.

New York, meanwhile, recently lost Luis Severino to the injured list on account of a lat strain. New York welcomed back Domingo Germán to take his rotation spot, but there’s not a ton of proven healthy depth beyond their top five. The Yankees have also seen righty Jameson Taillon scuffle of late, leaving them scouring the market for additional help. Like the Cardinals, they seem to be casting a wide net. In addition to high-impact hurlers in the Castillo/Montas range, they’ve also been linked to Pittsburgh’s José Quintana, who’d be a lower-cost depth pickup at the back end.

As for the Mariners, they have a range of areas they can add over the next six days. The M’s just wrapped up a sweep of the Rangers to pull to 54-45. They’re ten games back of the Astros in the AL West but in possession of the American League’s second Wild Card spot. They’re three games clear of the Guardians, the non-playoff team with the best record in the league.

With a strong opportunity to snap a playoff drought that has lasted more than two decades, the Mariners are in position to seek impact talent. Seattle entered play Wednesday with the sixth-lowest rotation ERA (3.65) in the majors. They’re middle-of-the-pack from a strikeout/walk perspective, however, with both Chris Flexen and Marco Gonzales posting below-average strikeout rates. There are also possible innings concerns for highly-touted rookie George Kirby, who has already tallied 96 frames this season between the minors and big leagues. That’s above the 67 2/3 innings he logged in the upper minors last year, so there’s certainly room for another starter to relieve some of the pressure on Kirby down the stretch and for what the club hopes will be a postseason run.

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Cincinnati Reds Minnesota Twins New York Yankees Oakland Athletics San Diego Padres Seattle Mariners St. Louis Cardinals Toronto Blue Jays Frankie Montas Luis Castillo Steven Matz

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Draft Signings: Padres, A’s, Blue Jays, Diamondbacks

By Anthony Franco | July 26, 2022 at 10:30pm CDT

A few more high draft picks have agreed to terms within the past day. We’ll round up today’s news here:

  • The Padres are in agreement with #15 overall pick Dylan Lesko, reports Jim Callis of MLB.com (Twitter link). The right-hander will receive a $3.9MM signing bonus that checks in a bit shy of the selection’s $4.09MM slot value. Lesko, a 6’3″ hurler from a Georgia high school, was rated by Baseball America as the #13 prospect in the class. Widely regarded as the draft’s top pitcher for much of the spring, Lesko required Tommy John surgery in April. That perhaps cost him an opportunity to go in the top ten, but he still went midway through the first round and received a strong bonus to bypass a commitment to Vanderbilt. Aside from the injury and the inherent risk associated with any high school hurler, there’s little in Lesko’s profile to nitpick. Before the surgery, he’d run his fastball into the mid-90s with a changeup that BA calls “one of the best the industry has seen from a high school pitcher,” along with a high-spin curveball. He adds a high-upside arm to the lower levels of the San Diego system, although it remains to be seen how much he’ll be able to pitch before the end of next season.
  • The A’s are in agreement with #19 selection Daniel Susac, Callis reports (on Twitter). The former University of Arizona catcher receives a $3.5312MM bonus that matches the slot value. The righty-hitting backstop, ranked the #11 player in the class by Baseball America, is coming off a massive .366/.430/.582 showing through 312 plate appearances during his second season with the Wildcats. He’s regarded as a bat-first backstop with good pull-side power, but both BA and Callis suggest he’s a good enough receiver to stick behind the plate, where his plus arm strength will be an asset. Susac’s older brother Andrew Susac spent parts of six seasons in the big leagues with the Giants, Brewers, Orioles and Pirates.
  • The Blue Jays have agreed to terms with first-round pick Brandon Barriera, reports Callis (Twitter link). The left-hander out of a Florida high school receives a $3.5975MM bonus that checks in a fair bit north of the $3.08MM slot value associated with the #23 pick. Barriera, who is also foregoing a Vanderbilt commitment, is a 5’11” hurler who can run his fastball into the mid-90s. He was ranked by Baseball America as the #17 player in the class, and both BA and Callis credit him with a possible plus slider and note he was among the top southpaws available.
  • The Diamondbacks have come to terms with right-hander Landon Sims, Callis reports (Twitter link). It’s a $2.34705MM bonus for the Mississippi State product, right around the slot value for the #34 overall pick. Sims was a lights-out closer for the Bulldogs in 2021, tossing 56 1/3 innings of 1.44 ERA ball with an otherworldly 46.9% strikeout rate to help MSU to a national title. The team attempted to transition him to the rotation this spring, but Sims blew out just three starts in and required Tommy John surgery. The injury has kept Sims from establishing any sort of track record as a starter, but both Callis and BA praise his mid-90s fastball and wipeout slider. He was the #35 prospect in the class, according to Baseball America.
  • In addition to Lesko, the Padres are in agreement with their second-highest selection. Callis reports (on Twitter) that #39 pick Robby Snelling has agreed to terms on a $3MM bonus that shatters the $2MM slot value. Snelling was generally seen as a mid-late first round talent, and his bonus is commensurate with that view. A left-handed pitcher from a Nevada high school, he was rated by BA as the #21 prospect in the class. Both Callis and BA credit Snelling with one of the better curveballs in the draft, and the latter outlet suggests he has a chance to develop plus control. Snelling had been committed to LSU.
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2022 Amateur Draft Arizona Diamondbacks Oakland Athletics San Diego Padres Toronto Blue Jays Brandon Barriera Daniel Susac Dylan Lesko Landon Sims Robby Snelling

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Draft Signings: Phillies, Red Sox, Yankees, Astros, A’s, Blue Jays

By Anthony Franco | July 25, 2022 at 10:19pm CDT

We’ll use this post to round up some of the more notable recent draft signings:

  • The Phillies announced they’ve signed #17 overall pick Justin Crawford. Jim Callis of MLB.com reports (Twitter link) that the lefty-hitting outfielder will receive a $3.8948MM signing bonus, a hair above the pick’s slot value. Crawford, the son of four-time All-Star Carl Crawford, was ranked by Baseball America as the #18 prospect in the class. A product of a Nevada high school, Crawford is an excellent runner who’s regarded as a possible plus defender in center field. The 6’3″ outfielder is seen as a hit-over-power offensive player. He’d been committed to LSU.
  • The Red Sox agreed to a deal with #24 selection Mikey Romero, as first reported by Chad Jennings of the Athletic (on Twitter). It’s a $2.3MM deal to convince the infielder to bypass a commitment to LSU. A left-handed hitter from a California high school, Romero was ranked the #54 prospect in the class by BA, explaining why his deal comes in a fair bit shy of the pick’s $2.98MM slot value. BA praises his bat-to-ball skills but notes that his slender frame leads to below-average raw power.
  • The Yankees announced agreement with #25 pick Spencer Jones. Callis reports (Twitter link) that he’ll sign for slot value at $2.8808MM. The class’s #49 prospect according to Baseball America, Jones is a 6’7″ outfielder from Vanderbilt. The left-hander posted a massive .370/.460/.644 showing with 12 home runs and 14 stolen bases through 272 plate appearances during his final season with the Commodores. Jones stuck out at a lofty 23.5% rate, an unsurprising development for a player of his size, but his combination of power and athleticism got him into the late first round.
  • Astros first-round pick Drew Gilbert has signed, according to a club announcement. Callis reports (Twitter link) he’s landed a $2.5MM bonus, a little under the $2.62MM value of the 28th overall pick. A left-handed hitting center fielder from the University of Tennessee, Gilbert was the #24 prospect in the class, per BA. The 5’9″ outfielder has a well-rounded offensive skillset and a good chance to stick in center field, and he’s coming off a .362/.455/.673 showing with more walks than strikeouts in a breakout junior season for the Vols.
  • The A’s are in agreement on an overslot deal with 2nd-round pick Henry Bolte, Callis reports (on Twitter). He’ll receive a $2MM bonus to sway him out of a commitment to Texas. A 6’3″ outfielder from the Bay Area, Bolte entered the draft as the #42 prospect in Baseball America’s estimation. He’s regarded as one of the higher-upside players in the class, showing an enviable combination of power, speed and center defense. However, the right-handed hitter also comes with question marks about the high amount of swing-and-miss in his game.
  • The Blue Jays went overslot with a $2MM bonus for supplemental second-round pick Tucker Toman, Callis reports (on Twitter). That’s more than double the $846,900 slot value associated with the #77 overall selection. That reflects a loftier prospect status, as the 18-year-old infielder from a South Carolina high school had been the #40 player in the class, according to BA. A 6’1″ infielder, Toman is a switch-hitter with a chance for a strong hit/power combination, although it’s questionable whether he can stay on the dirt or will eventually have to move to the corner outfield. Like Crawford and Romero, he’ll forego a commitment to LSU and start his pro career.
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2022 Amateur Draft Boston Red Sox Houston Astros New York Yankees Oakland Athletics Philadelphia Phillies Toronto Blue Jays Drew Gilbert Henry Bolte Justin Crawford Mikey Romero Spencer Jones Tucker Toman

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Cardinals To Place Goldschmidt, Arenado, Romine On Restricted List; Matz Placed On 15-Day Injured List

By Mark Polishuk | July 24, 2022 at 3:56pm CDT

3:56PM: Matz has a torn MCL in his left knee, MLB.com’s John Denton reports (via Twitter).  Based similar injuries to other players, this will likely mean at least a 4-6 week absence for Matz, though it isn’t yet known if he’ll require surgery.

3:38PM: The Cardinals announced some roster moves today, one in regards to today’s game and three others in advance of their upcoming two-game series in Toronto.  Most immediately, left-hander Steven Matz was placed on the 15-day injured list due to a left knee sprain, and righty James Naile was called up from Triple-A Memphis.

Before Tuesday’s game against the Blue Jays, the Cards will place Paul Goldschmidt, Nolan Arenado, and Austin Romine on the restricted list.  The trio aren’t vaccinated, and thus become the latest players ineligible to cross the border due to Canadian federal vaccine mandates.  Goldschmidt, Arenado, and Romine will forfeit two games’ worth of salary for the missed time.  Catcher Ivan Herrera, utilityman Cory Spangenberg, and outfielder Conner Capel are expected to be added to the roster as replacements.

Most teams traveling to Toronto this season have had to work around at least a couple of vaccine-related absences, with the Royals (who had 10 players on their restricted list) representing the extreme end of the scale.  While St. Louis is missing “only” three players, however, losing superstars like Goldschmidt and Arenado for even two games certainly isn’t an ideal situation.  Losing Romine also thins out a catching depth chart that is still missing the injured Yadier Molina.

Johan Oviedo’s status for the Blue Jays series is also in question, as the Cards reliever and Cuba native has an expired passport.  Manager Oliver Marmol told reporters (including MLB.com’s John Denton) that Oviedo might still be able to make it if he is able to obtain a special temporary waiver from the Canadian consulate in Miami.

While Matz wouldn’t have pitched in the series since he just started yesterday, he’ll also miss a chance to return to Toronto after pitching for the Jays in 2021.  Matz was only activated from the 15-day IL earlier this week, after missing two months due to a shoulder impingement.  Unfortunately, the southpaw then hurt his knee in his very first start back, as Matz took an awkward step while trying to field a grounder in the sixth inning of Saturday’s 6-3 victory over the Reds.  Matz still earned the win, allowing two runs on three hits and a walk in his 5 1/3 innings of work while striking out seven.

It was a solid outing in what has been an otherwise tough season for Matz, between his earlier injury and his inconsistent work over his first nine outings.  Even with Saturday’s game factored in, Matz still has a 5.70 ERA over 42 2/3 innings in his first season in a Cardinals uniform.  However, a 3.13 SIERA and strong strikeout and walk rates indicate that Matz has also been pretty unlucky, as he isn’t getting much good fortune on the BABIP (.336) and strand rate (66.2%) fronts.

Saturday’s start was a step in the right direction, and yet it will now be some time before Matz can follow up on that performance.  The lefty will undergo more tests and imaging, and a clearer timeline could soon be known about when Matz might be able to get back on a mound.

The Cardinals were already rumored to be looking into rotation help at the deadline, so Matz’s IL status will likely only deepen the team’s needs.  In the short term, however, St. Louis only has five games over the next eight days, so all of these off-days can allow the Cards to get by with less than five starters.  Dakota Hudson is tentatively slated to be activated from his own 15-day IL stint next weekend, after hitting the IL on July 15 due to a neck strain.

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St. Louis Cardinals Toronto Blue Jays Transactions Austin Romine Conner Capel Cory Spangenberg Ivan Herrera James Naile Nolan Arenado Paul Goldschmidt Steven Matz

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Blue Jays, Vinny Nittoli Agree To Minor League Deal

By Anthony Franco | July 22, 2022 at 10:19pm CDT

The Blue Jays are signing reliever Vinny Nittoli to a minor league contract, reports Robert Murray of FanSided (Twitter link). The 31-year-old recently opted out of a similar arrangement with the division-rival Yankees.

A former 25h-round pick, Nittoli has spent the bulk of his career in the Mariners organization. He reached the big leagues with Seattle last year, getting the briefest cup of coffee with one inning of relief in his only appearance. The M’s outrighted him off their 40-man roster and later released him, and he caught on with the Twins for the stretch run. That agreement with Minnesota didn’t result in a big league look, and Nittoli returned to the open market as a minor league free agent, where he caught on with New York.

Assigned to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre for the entirety of the 2022 campaign, the right-hander worked 36 2/3 innings across 22 appearances. He posted a 3.44 ERA, punching out a strong 29.9% of batters faced against a fine 8.8% walk rate. He’ll add some non-roster depth behind a Toronto relief corps that ranks 21st in MLB with a 4.11 ERA.

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Toronto Blue Jays Vinny Nittoli

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Sergio Romo Elects Free Agency

By Steve Adams | July 20, 2022 at 8:29pm CDT

Veteran right-hander Sergio Romo went unclaimed on waivers following his recent DFA and has elected free agency, tweets Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet. The Blue Jays had designated Romo for assignment this past weekend.

Romo’s time with the Jays proved to be brief. Signed to a big league deal after being designated for assignment and released by the Mariners, he appeared in six games with Toronto and allowed a pair of earned runs on one hit and two walks with three strikeouts in 3 2/3 innings. That lone hit was a home run, continuing an alarming spike in home-run rate that dates back to his time in Seattle earlier this season.

The 39-year-old Romo signed a one-year, $2MM deal with the Mariners late in the offseason, after Seattle found out that right-hander Casey Sadler would miss the season due to shoulder surgery. He didn’t find his footing in either locale this year, however, evidenced by a 7.50 ERA and whopping seven long balls in just 18 innings of work.

Romo isn’t far removed from a solid 2019-20 run with the Marlins and Twins, when he pitched to a combined 3.59 ERA with a 24.7% strikeout rate and a 7.1% walk rate. However, his strikeout rate dipped a bit last season during a pedestrian year with the A’s, and he’s whiffed a career-worst 17.7% of his opponents so far in 2022. Romo has been a soft-tosser for his whole career and had success averaging just 86.5 mph on his “fastball” from 2016-20, but this season’s 85.2 mph average, like his strikeout rate, is a career-low.

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Toronto Blue Jays Transactions Sergio Romo

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Michael Conforto Drawing Post-Draft Interest

By Darragh McDonald | July 20, 2022 at 1:25pm CDT

On MLBTR’s list of top 50 free agents for this past offseason, 49 of them eventually reached deals, with outfielder Michael Conforto being the lone exception. It was later revealed that the reason he hadn’t signed was that he suffered a shoulder injury during the lockout, which would eventually require season-ending surgery.

Conforto’s agent, Scott Boras, later walked that “season-ending” descriptor back in May, saying that there was a chance that Conforto could return late in the season. While that opened up the possibility of some team signing an injured Conforto and hoping for him to recuperate ahead of schedule, it was never going to happen prior to the draft since Conforto turned down a qualifying offer from the Mets. Taking a risk on Conforto might have some appeal, but not so much that any team would forfeit a meaningful draft pick for the pleasure.

Now that the draft has been completed, that has become a moot point. Signing Conforto is no longer connected to any kind of forfeiture of draft picks or bonus pool money. Naturally, Conforto is now garnering more interest, per Jon Heyman of the New York Post. Heyman speaks to Boras, who says that he got four phone calls about Conforto after the draft and that “there is very strong interest by some very good teams.”

When asked to list the teams that were interested, Boras said “They’re all in the United States except one,” hinting that the Blue Jays are one of the teams at the table. The involvement of the Jays isn’t terribly surprising, given that they had previous interest in the offseason as part of their desire to add left-handed hitting. Around the same time that the news of Conforto’s injury came out, the Jays acquired a different lefty bat in Raimel Tapia. Since Tapia has hit .275/.300/.388 this season for a wRC+ of 91, or 9% below league average, it stands to reason that Toronto still thinks they can upgrade in that department.

Of course, even if Conforto is able to return to health before season’s end, it’s fair to wonder which version he will be. After an amazing stretch of play from 2017-2020 wherein he hit .265/.369/.495 for a wRC+ of 133, he followed that up with a down year in 2021. His batting line last year was .232/.344/.384 for a wRC+ of 106, still above average but a far cry from his previous seasons. Given that disappointing season, followed by shoulder surgery, a lengthy layoff and then a rehab process of some kind, it’s hard to know how effective he can be in the coming months.

Of course, from Conforto’s perspective, he’d surely love the ability to get back on the field and show some signs of life before the offseason. As a free agent marketing himself to teams for the 2023 season, there would be a big difference between getting healthy in December and holding a showcase versus playing in real games, even if it’s only a handful.

Signing an injured player comes with risks but is not unprecedented. For instance, in August of last year, the Dodgers signed Cole Hamels for $1MM plus incentives as he was working his way back from various injuries. In that case, it didn’t work out, as Hamels was shut down for the season just two weeks later. With less than two weeks to go until the trade deadline, any team looking for an extra bat that comes up short could turn to Conforto as a risky fallback option.

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New York Mets Toronto Blue Jays Michael Conforto

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Blue Jays Acquire Foster Griffin From Royals For Jonatan Bernal

By TC Zencka | July 16, 2022 at 10:28am CDT

The Blue Jays and Royals have agreed to a trade this morning, per Jon Morosi of the MLB Network (via Twitter). Toronto will send right-hander Jonatan Bernal to the Royals for southpaw Foster Griffin.

The Blue Jays have sent Griffin to Triple-A. The southpaw made five appearances in the bigs with the Royals, yielding six earned runs across 4 1/3 innings. He has a 1.93 ERA across 28 innings in Triple-A, however.

The Blue Jays also recalled Jeremy Beasley from Triple-A and designated veteran Sergio Romo for assignment, per Keegan Matheson of MLB.com (via Twitter). The 39-year-old Romo made six appearances with the Jays after being cut loose by the Mariners. He fared better in Toronto, though the underlying metrics tell a fairly similar tale. Beasley, 26, has made six appearances for the Bue Jays totaling 10 innings of work with a 6.30 ERA.

For the Royals, this is a sort of paying-it-forward deal, where they pick up a younger arm in Bernal in exchange for a near-ML-ready arm in Griffin. Bernal, 20, has a 5.47 ERA across 52 2/3 innings in Single-A this season, where he is a couple of years younger than the average player.

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Kansas City Royals Toronto Blue Jays Transactions Foster Griffin Jeremy Beasley Jonatan Bernal Sergio Romo

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