The Yusei Kikuchi Trade Was a Win for Both Sides

The Toronto Blue Jays and Houston Astros have connected on numerous trades over the years – Teoscar Hernández for Francisco Liriano; Aaron Sanchez and Joe Biagini for Derek Fisher, etc. – and the two sides got back together this summer for one of the biggest trades at the deadline.

With the Jays in the basement of the AL East and the Astros struggling for starting pitching, the two linked up in a deal that sent southpaw Yusei Kikuchi to the AL West for a trio of young players: RHP Jake Bloss, OF Joey Loperfido, and INF Will Wagner.

At the time of the deal, it seemed like an overpay from the Astros for Kikuchi, who was scuffling a bit as the trade deadline loomed near.

While he started the season hot, putting up a 3.25 ERA, 2.88 FIP, and 61 strikeouts through his first 11 starts and 66 innings, the Japanese product was pushing a 6.59 ERA with 20 earned runs through his final five starts with the Jays.

On the Astros side, Bloss had made a handful of starts for Houston given the club’s injury woes and had excelled in Double-A. He ranked among the team’s top 10 prospects, per MLB Pipeline. Wagner was in Triple-A at the time of the trade and ranked among the top 20 prospects in the organization.

Loperfido, a recently graduated top prospect, was riding the options bus between Houston and Sugar Land and struggling with strikeouts in the majors (36.4% K% rate).

With just over a month passed since the transaction, both teams have been reaping the rewards of the transaction, and it appears we may have a rare win-win deal on our hands.

It is obviously early to evaluate this trade with the postseason still on the horizon and the Jays working with three unproven players, but overall, the prognosis is good for both squads out of the gate.

Yusei Kikuchi Turned a Corner After Trade to Astros

Since returning to the AL West, Kikuchi has been a go-to arm in the Astros rotation. In his first start against the Seattle Mariners, his former team, he struck out 11 batters across 5 2/3 innings with just three hits allowed, two earned runs and three walks.

He left the mound to a standing ovation in front of the Astros faithful. He continues to trend in the right direction in a contract year.

Through six outings with Houston, Kikuchi owns a 2.57 ERA, a 0.94 WHIP and a 12.1 K/9 through 35 innings. He has held opponents to a .244 BABIP and a .532 OPS and has allowed just 23 hits and 10 earned runs compared to 10 walks and 47 strikeouts, using his fastball and offspeed pitches to keep hitters off balance.

With the Astros looking to lock down the division after a dreadful start to the 2024 campaign, the acquisition of Kikuchi has helped extend their lead as the season starts to wind down.

Houston has won all six games the left-hander has started, and he has pitched at least five innings in every start, making him a welcome addition to a starting corps that has been decimated by injuries and has used 12 different pitchers to start games this year.

The Blue Jays Are Getting a Look at Their Newest Players

Joey Loperfido

Loperfido quickly joined the Blue Jays active roster and has stayed with the club since the deadline. He struggled mightily out of the gate, posting a .159 average with seven hits and 18 strikeouts through his first 44 at-bats, but he has looked better since mid-August.

Through his last 17 games, Loperfido has a .784 OPS and has cut down his strikeout rate to a more manageable 27.6%. He has also added three doubles, two triples, and two homers through his last 58 trips to the plate and is starting to gain a rhythm with regular at-bats – a commodity he will continue to find more of in the Jays lineup as Toronto limps toward the end of the season.

Will Wagner

The Blue Jays initially sent Wagner down to Triple-A, where opposing teams couldn’t keep his bat contained, prompting the front office to bring him north of the border on August 12th.

Through 19 games, the son of reliever Billy Wagner has compiled a .328/.348/.516 slash line with eight extra-base hits, nine RBIs, and a .864 OPS.

He has five multi-hit games so far in his young career, including the first three games of his big league tenure. The 26-year-old has been a welcome addition hitting from the left-hand side, getting most of his playing time at second base against right-handed pitching.

With his impressive run as of late, the infielder has set himself up for more playing time through September and into next season if he can keep up the consistency.

Jake Bloss

Lastly is Bloss, who went to Dunedin following the trade to work with the organization’s staff at the Player Development Complex in the ‘Pitching Lab’.

In an organization that is struggling for starting pitching depth after several trades over the years, the injuries this season, and a lack of internal progression, Bloss immediately entered into the conversation to start for Toronto in the near future.

So far with Buffalo, the right-hander owns a 4.70 ERA through five starts and limited innings. His first three outings were rock solid – he gave up just six hits through 9 2/3 innings with eight strikeouts and five walks – although his command has been a bit of a conversation point early into his tenure with the organization.

His fourth start is where things went wrong, as he allowed nine hits, two walks and three home runs to the tune of eight earned, which saw his ERA balloon to 4.70 before he was lifted after just 1 2/3 innings.

Bloss’s latest start was a step in the right direction. He threw four scoreless innings with just two hits allowed, but he also allowed four free passes and continues to demonstrate shaky command.

While there are still years to go for Bloss to turn things around, the chances of him appearing in Toronto before the end of the campaign are low; he would likely be limited to just one or two starts down the stretch (if any at all).

Yusei Kikuchi Trade Was a Win-Win for Blue Jays and Astros

So far, the deal struck between the Blue Jays and Astros has benefitted both parties. Kikuchi is helping Houston stay in the playoff hunt, and he’s helping himself with a stellar finish to the season as free agency looms this winter.

For the Jays, the young trio of Loperfido, Wagner, and Bloss should play out well for a club looking to bounce back to contention in short succession but that also needs to save some money with core players like Bo Bichette and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. needing extensions in the near future.

In a perfect world, every trade would benefit both teams, but in this day and age, that rarely happens. Sometimes it is because players do not meet expectations, sometimes because trades are designed for teams to cut payroll rather than take on player value, etc.

Out of the gate, this deal is making sense for both sides, even though it seemed like an overpay for Houston at the time.

Looking ahead, the trade could get even sweeter for Houston if Kikuchi not only pitches well down the stretch but decides to stay with the club this offseason.

Today though, the Astros continue to march toward October baseball, and the Blue Jays look to lick their wounds with three new players and refocus for next season with more darts to throw at the board.