Astros acquire Kikuchi from Blue Jays in 4-player trade
The Toronto Blue Jays traded left-hander Yusei Kikuchi to the Houston Astros for prospects Jake Bloss, Joey Loperfido, and Will Wagner, the clubs announced Monday.
Kikuchi, who can test free agency at the end of the 2024 campaign, owns a 4.75 ERA with 3.64 FIP and 10.1 K/9 over 115 2/3 innings (22 starts) this year. He posted a 7.75 ERA with 1.57 WHIP over his last eight starts leading up to the trade deadline.
The 33-year-old should help an Astros' rotation that has been ravaged by injuries to Justin Verlander, Luis Garcia, Cristian Javier, José Urquidy, and Lance McCullers Jr.
"They're a contender, and it shows how much they value me as an athlete. ... That's something you feel good about," Kikuchi said, according to Hazel Mae of Sportsnet.
Astros GM Dana Brown said a steep prospect haul was the price to pay to shore up the rotation.
"In order to get a major-league starter with that type of arm, you're going to have to give up some pretty good players that hurt," Brown said, per Brian McTaggart of MLB.com. It's pretty difficult to give up young talent, but at the end of the day, we're trying to really stabilize our rotation so we can get back to the postseason and potentially get deep into the postseason."
Bloss is the No. 2-ranked prospect in Houston's minor-league system, per Baseball America. The 23-year-old right-hander made his MLB debut this season, authoring a 6.94 ERA with 11 strikeouts over 11 2/3 innings (three starts). In the minors, he amassed a 1.64 ERA with 0.79 WHIP and 8.6 K/9 across a combined 66 innings between three levels in 2024.
Loperfido, the Astros' No. 5 prospect, has gone deep twice with 16 RBIs and a .658 OPS over 38 contests in the majors in 2024. The 25-year-old outfielder recorded 13 homers with a .933 OPS over 39 contests in Triple-A this year.
"This place feels like home," said an emotional Loperfido, according to Chandler Rome of The Athletic. "I wish everyone could be treated the way I was treated and coached the way I was coached by these guys. Loved it here. It felt like home."
Lastly, Wagner is the 19th-ranked prospect in Houston's system after posting a .307/.424/.429 slash line with five long balls and 41 RBIs in 70 Triple-A games over the 2024 campaign. The 26-year-old infielder is the son of seven-time All-Star Billy Wagner.