NEW YORK (AP) — The Minnesota Twins acquired right-handed pitcher Trevor Richards from the Toronto Blue Jays on Tuesday before the major league non-waiver trade deadline, a boost for the bullpen in their quest to catch Cleveland and defend their AL Central title.
The Twins sent minor league infielder Jay Harry to the non-contending Blue Jays, who entered their game at Baltimore on Tuesday in last place in the AL East and eight games below the cut for the third and final AL wild card spot. The Blue Jays, who’ve been trying to move under the $237 million tax threshold after starting the season with a $244 million payroll, dealt starting pitcher Yusei Kikuchi to Houston on Monday after previously trading away third baseman Justin Turner, catcher Danny Jansen and relievers Nate Pearson and Yimi García.
Richards is making $2.15 million this year. The 31-year-old has a 4.64 ERA in 52 1/3 innings with 24 walks, 49 strikeouts and a .189 opponent batting average. Since the start of last season, Richards has the eighth-best strikeouts-per-nine-innings ratio (11.09) in the AL. This will be his fifth major league club, following stints with Miami, Tampa Bay and Milwaukee. He has a 4.51 ERA in 547 career innings.
“Trevor has been such an underrated part of our bullpen the past for the past couple years, whether it’s opening, starting, relieving, closing, leverage,” Blue Jays manager John Schneider said. “He takes the ball every single day. I think Trev understood that was a possibility. He’s been through it before.”
The Twins, who designated right-handed pitcher Josh Staumont for assignment to make room for Richards, could use more production in the bullpen before their late-inning specialists Jhoan Duran, Griffin Jax and Jorge Alcala. They entered Tuesday six games behind the Guardians in the division race but in the second AL wild card spot. The bullpen’s 3.93 ERA starting the day ranked 14th,
The 22-year-old Harry was a sixth-round draft pick in 2022 out of Penn State. He was playing this season for Cedar Rapids, Minnesota’s high Class A affiliate.
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