NEW YORK — The Minnesota Twins acquired right-handed pitcher Trevor Richards from the Toronto Blue Jays on Tuesday earlier than the key league non-waiver commerce deadline, a lift for the bullpen of their quest to catch Cleveland and defend their AL Central title.
The Twins despatched minor league infielder Jay Harry to the non-contending Blue Jays, who entered their recreation at Baltimore on Tuesday in final place within the AL East and eight video games beneath the minimize for the third and ultimate AL wild card spot.
“We’re including an excellent proficient arm, somebody that I do know fairly properly from watching him pitch for a very long time,” Twins supervisor Rocco Baldelli mentioned. “He is actually a man that may match up in opposition to each lefties and righties. Bought a wonderful changeup and he simply pitches. He can go two innings or perhaps much more than that in case you want him to.”
The Blue Jays, who’ve been making an attempt to maneuver beneath the $237 million tax threshold after beginning the season with a $244 million payroll, dealt beginning pitcher Yusei Kikuchi to Houston on Monday after beforehand buying and selling away third baseman Justin Turner, catcher Danny Jansen and relievers Nate Pearson and Yimi GarcÃa.
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“We’re proper on the razor’s edge there and hopefully that can be one thing we are able to navigate as a secondary profit,” Blue Jays common supervisor Ross Atkins mentioned of the tax threshold.
Richards is making $2.15 million this 12 months. The 31-year-old has a 4.64 ERA in 52â…“ innings with 24 walks, 49 strikeouts and a .189 opponent batting common. For the reason that begin of final season, Richards has the eighth-best strikeouts-per-nine-innings ratio (11.09) within the AL.
“I feel now we have an excellent workforce. I imagine within the group that now we have in that room and hopefully we are able to proceed so as to add to it from our group inside,” Twins president of baseball operations Derek Falvey mentioned.
This can be Richards’ fifth main league membership, following stints with Miami, Tampa Bay and Milwaukee. He has a 4.51 ERA in 547 profession innings.
“Trevor has been such an underrated a part of our bullpen the previous for the previous couple years, whether or not it is opening, beginning, relieving, closing, leverage,” Blue Jays supervisor John Schneider mentioned. “He takes the ball each single day. I feel Trev understood that was a chance. He is been by it earlier than.”
The Twins, who designated right-handed pitcher Josh Staumont for task to make room for Richards, might use extra manufacturing within the bullpen earlier than their late-inning specialists Jhoan Duran, Griffin Jax and Jorge Alcala. They entered Tuesday six video games behind the Guardians within the division race however within the second AL wild card spot. The bullpen’s 3.93 ERA beginning the day ranked 14th.
The 22-year-old Harry was a sixth-round draft decide in 2022 out of Penn State. He was enjoying this season for Cedar Rapids, Minnesota’s excessive Class A affiliate.
The Related Press contributed to this story.