The Blue Jays’ Trade of Yusei Kikuchi Is the Gift That Keeps on Giving

In recent years, the Toronto Blue Jays have made several deals that have helped form a strong core of players to lead their team in 2026. They have a lot of homegrown talent composing their current squad, but some of their most important players this season have stemmed from a specific trade that has continued to pay out for the Jays.

At the trade deadline in 2024, the Blue Jays traded starting pitcher Yusei Kikuchi to the Houston Astros.

For Houston, they got half a season of Kikuchi in an effort to make a deep playoff run. But for Toronto, the players they acquired have helped them construct key parts of their 2026 squad and set themselves up for future success.

The trade ended up being a win for both sides, but Toronto made some incredible moves following this trade with the pieces they acquired. While the Astros’ end of this deal essentially ended when the trade was completed, Toronto leveraged its pieces to make some of their most impactful moves in recent years.

The Initial Trade

On July 30, 2024, the Jays and Astros struck a deadline deal where Toronto would trade Kikuchi, who would place ninth in AL Cy Young voting, for a package of prospects.

The Blue Jays were just 51-58 on the season and wanted to commit to building for the future, while the Astros were 55-52 and sitting just one game back of the AL West division lead. This trade made sense for both teams on paper, but it ended up being quite one-sided.

Let’s start by tackling the Astros’ side of this trade first. They acquired left-handed starter Yusei Kikuchi for the remainder of the 2024 season in which he made 10 regular-season starts with a 2.70 ERA. Kikuchi was a strong fit for the Astros, ending his tenure in Houston with a 76-to-14 strikeout-to-walk ratio while posting the a WHIP below 1.00 (0.93).

He was part of a three-headed monster atop the Astros’ rotation that all posted ERAs below 3.00 and at least 1.4 fWAR (Framber Valdez, Hunter Brown). Kikuchi didn’t pitch in Houston’s 2-0 loss in the AL Wild Card Series and signed with the Angels in free agency following the season.

The Blue Jays acquired pitcher Jake Bloss, infielder Will Wagner, and outfielder Joey Loperfido in the deal, with two of the three having MLB experience.

Bloss was one of Houston’s top pitching prospects but had a 6.94 ERA over his first three MLB starts. Wagner was an exciting player, slashing .270/.333/.405 through his first 17 games at the Triple-A level with a strikeout rate below 10%. The only player that Toronto had evidence could perform immediately at the MLB level was Loperfido.

Loperfido had an underwhelming stat line, slashing .236/.299/.358, tallying eight extra-base hits and driving in 16 RBI through 38 MLB games with the Astros. He had six multi-hit games prior to the trade and had made several impressive defensive plays, so the Jays saw him as an option to help their outfield over the coming seasons.

Overall, impressions at the time were that Houston may have slightly overpaid for Kikuchi, but he ended up playing very well for them down the stretch.

This article focuses primarily on the players that were acquired in exchange for some of the pieces of this deal, but it’s also important to note that Bloss is still one of Toronto’s top pitching prospects and has a 3.66 ERA across three levels of MiLB this season.

He remains in the Blue Jays’ system, but the remainder of this article will discuss the riches that Toronto gained from moving on from the other two names they acquired from Houston. Bloss himself might be added to this list if Toronto is able to glean any more talent from him going forward.

The Return for Loperfido

Loperfido slashed .253/.296/.408 in 84 games for the Blue Jays between 2024 and 2025, spending extended stints at the Triple-A level and serving primarily as a replacement outfielder to help Toronto’s outfield depth. He had an .879 OPS in 41 games in 2025, which may have increased his trade value, because in the ensuing offseason Toronto would trade him back to his former organization.

On February 13, 2026, the Blue Jays swapped outfielders with the Astros, offering back Loperfido for noted slugger Jesús Sánchez.

Sánchez drove in eight RBI in spring training for the Blue Jays, and he impressed them enough to earn an Opening Day roster spot — something he’s completely run away with. Through his first 66 regular-season games as a Blue Jay, Sánchez is slashing .287/.325/.462 with seven home runs, 29 RBI, 13 doubles, and a 115 wRC+.

He’s been a top-three hitter on the Blue Jays in these categories, and he is second on the team with a .787 OPS (min. 50 PA). So, he’s been an integral part of their success on the offensive side of the ball.

He is under team control through the 2027 season, so he may even factor into the Blue Jays’ plans for next season as well.

Sánchez’s success has come primarily against fastballs, against which he’s hitting .313 with a .495 slugging percentage against this season. His style of play has worked well within the Blue Jays’ aggressive and contact-heavy lineup. As of right now, it appears as though Toronto has made out very well in this outfielder swap.

There’s a New Catcher in Town

The Blue Jays also moved on from Will Wagner, who had a career .699 OPS in 64 games for the Blue Jays between 2024 and 2025. Wagner was dealt once again at the 2025 trade deadline from Toronto to the San Diego Padres in exchange for MLB’s newest breakout catcher in Brandon Valenzuela.

With a 105 wRC+ in 87 Double-A games in 2025 in the Padres’ system, Valenzuela is the perfect example of buying low on a prospect who has more to offer than he’s shown so far.

Back in spring training with the Blue Jays, Valenzuela posted a slash line of .304/.370/.478 with a 119 wRC+ and was an easy choice for a call-up when Alejandro Kirk went on the IL for about two months. In his absence, Valenzuela proved that he deserves a roster spot at the MLB level.

In 47 MLB games, Valenzuela has slashed .254/.338/.454 with a 121 wRC+ and 1.5 fWAR. Among Blue Jays hitters this season with at least 50 plate appearances, he ranks first in wRC+, fWAR, and OPS (.792). With Kirk making his return to Toronto’s lineup in recent days, Valenzuela kept his roster spot while the Jays DFA’d veteran backup catcher Tyler Heineman instead.

On the defensive side, he’s one of the most impressive catchers in baseball as well. His +6 fielding runs are tied for the fourth best among all MLB catchers, he has the third-most framing runs in MLB (+5), and he’s tied for the 13th-best pop time among catchers (1.89 seconds). Since May 9, he has a .897 OPS, a 150 wRC+, and a 1.3 fWAR.

Remember the name Brandon Valenzuela, because he’s going to be tearing up the AL East for years to come.

The Blue Jays continue to reap the benefits of their 2024 trade deadline transaction, and the way they’ve been able to move pieces around and construct this roster is a testament to the work Ross Atkins has done.