The impact of Toronto’s highest-profile deadline trade will not be evident Friday night when the Blue Jays host the Kansas City Royals to open a three-game series.
In one of several deals by both teams on Thursday, the Blue Jays acquired right-hander Shane Bieber from the Cleveland Guardians for a top pitching prospect.
The Blue Jays are taking a gamble with Bieber, who won the American League Cy Young Award in the abbreviated 2020 season. He is returning from Tommy John surgery and likely at least two weeks away from pitching for Toronto.
Bieber had the operation in April 2024, and the 30-year-old has a 1.59 ERA in four minor league rehabilitation outings.
“I feel like my stuff is in a really good spot,” Bieber told the Akron Beacon Herald on Tuesday after his outing with Double-A Akron on Tuesday. “To be frank, it has been in a great spot since I started throwing. I am very confident with the action of my pitches. For me, it is really about building arm strength.”
In 136 games (134 starts) for the Guardians from 2018-24, the two-time All-Star went 62-32 with a 3.22 ERA.
“It will be hard to surpass his ceiling, what he has accomplished,” Toronto general manager Ross Atkins said. “So, just getting him back to his potential would be him doing exceptionally well for us, so that’s what we’ll focus on with him, and we’re really, really glad that he’s here.”
The Blue Jays, who are returning from a 4-4 road trip, have a 3 1/2-game lead in the American League East over the second-place New York Yankees.
Toronto sent right-hander Khal Stephen to Cleveland in the Bieber deal. The 22-year-old was 9-1 with a 2.06 ERA in 18 appearances (17 starts) over three levels — Double-A New Hampshire, high Class-A Vancouver, and Class-A Dunedin — in his first professional season.
In a deal with the busy Minnesota Twins, Toronto netted right-hander Louis Varland and first baseman Ty France for outfielder Alan Roden and minor league left-hander Kendry Rojas.
Toronto also got minor league catcher Brandon Valenzuela from the San Diego Padres for infielder Will Wagner.
The Royals made three deals on Thursday. They picked up outfielder Mike Yastrzemski from the San Francisco Giants in exchange for minor league right-hander Yunior Marte. Yastrzemski is batting .231/.330/.355 with eight home runs and 28 RBIs.
“It was a late trade,” Royals general manager J.J. Picollo said. “I want to say it was about a minute and a half left before the deadline. There were some components to it that we had to work out.”
The Royals picked up left-hander Bailey Falter from the Pittsburgh Pirates for left-hander Evan Sisk and infielder Callan Moss. Falter is 7-5 with a 3.73 ERA in 22 starts.
Kansas City also sent catcher Freddy Fermin to the Padres for right-handers Ryan Bergert and Stephen Kolek. Bergert is 1-0 with a 2.78 ERA in in 11 games (seven starts) in his first major league season. Kolek is 4-5 with a 4.18 ERA in 14 starts this year.
Picollo said trading Fermin was emotional.
“Nobody can outwork that guy,” he said. “He was a perfect partner for Salvador Perez. Salvy mentored him in a way that he’s ready to take over as a starting catcher somewhere.”
The Royals are scheduled to start right-hander Michael Wacha (4-9, 3.53 ERA) on Friday. He is 1-2 with a 5.20 ERA in eight career games (seven starts) against Toronto.
The Blue Jays had not named a starter as of Thursday night.