Blue Jays move reliever Trevor Richards, others amid flurry of MLB trade deadline deals

Toronto Blue Jays' general manager Ross Atkins, coming off one of the busiest trade deadline periods in team history, spoke with the media Tuesday night after putting the finishing touches on a busy day.

The Blue Jays shipped out every pending free agent on their roster in a group that featured Yimi Garcia, Danny Jansen, Nate Pearson, Trevor Richards, Justin Turner, Isiah Kiner-Falefa, Kevin Kiermaier and Yusei Kikuchi.

In total, the Blue Jays dealt away eight players over the past six days, each of whom began the season on their MLB roster, and received 14 players in return. Of those 14 players, all but one, reliever Ryan Yarborough, are still considered prospects, and 12 are position players.

Atkins was adamant that this trade deadline did not signal a "rebuild" for the Blue Jays, but rather a "retooling" of sorts.

"Obviously, we did not want to be at this point where we are, trading players away," said Atkins. "It's a disappointing time in my career and where we are as an organization. But we switched to getting better and switched to focusing on reshaping the group that is here."

The GM said that he expects the Blue Jays to compete and contend in 2025 and beyond.

"We acquired players that are strong and physical and dynamic and have the chance to complement us very well."

He said the trades leading up to Tuesday's 6 p.m. ET deadline were meant to increase the club's positional depth and improve the organization's overall athleticism — and injecting new life into a farm system whose quality had dipped considerably in recent years.

"There's several ways to make acquisitions, which we will continue to have to do. We're going to have to add in free agency and via trade, and we've just increased the likelihood of doing that by creating more depth and increased flexibility."

After starting the year with post-season expectations, Atkins made clear the disappointment he feels at the Blue Jays being in the position of trading away their established players rather than adding more of them.

Toronto sent reliever Richards to the Minnesota Twins for outfielder Jay Harry before acquiring third baseman Charles McAdoo from the Pittsburgh Pirates for utility man Kiner-Falefa and cash considerations.

The Jays dealt 34-year-old outfielder Kiermaier to the Los Angeles Dodgers for pitcher Ryan Yarbrough. Kiermaier announced last week that he intends to retire at the end of the season. Kiermaier was hitting just .195 with four home runs and 18 runs-batted-in over 81 games with Toronto this season.

The 22-year-old Harry has appeared in 82 games with High-A Cedar Rapids, hitting .214 with eight home runs and 39 RBIs.

McAdoo, 22, has split this season between High-A Greensboro and double-A Altoona. In 87 games, he's hitting .315 with 21 doubles, five triples, 14 home runs and 63 RBIs, while registering 17 stolen bases.

The 31-year-old Richards had appeared in 45 games (two starts) with Toronto, posting a 2-1 record, 4.64 earned-run average with 49 strikeouts over 52.1 innings.

Kiner-Falefa, 29, appeared in 82 games this season, his first with Toronto. He's hitting career-high .292 with 17 extra-base hits and 33 RBIs.

Toronto, which is last in the American League East, dealt infielder Turner and pitcher Garcia to Seattle, pitcher Kikuchi to Houston, pitcher Pearson to the Chicago Cubs, and catcher Jansen to Boston.

Dodgers add Flaherty to rotation

The Dodgers added Flaherty from Detroit for minor league catcher Thayron Liranzo and infielder Trey Sweeney. Flaherty is 7-5 with a 2.95 ERA and 133 strikeouts over 106 1/3 innings in 18 starts.

Many top stars mentioned as trade targets stayed with their teams, including Toronto slugger Vladimir Guerrero Jr., San Francisco left-hander Blake Snell and Chicago White Sox left-hander Garrett Crochet.

San Diego got Scott from Miami, Cleveland acquired right-hander Alex Cobb from San Francisco.

Scott gives the Padres one of the best closers in baseball. He has a 1.18 ERA, 18 saves and 53 strikeouts over 44 appearances. The Padres also added left-hander Martin Perez from the Pirates for a prospect.

The Pirates, in the middle of the NL wild-card race, also added outfielder Bryan De La Cruz from Miami for two prospects. De La Cruz led the Marlins with 18 homers.

Orioles land Rogers, Jimenez

The Orioles acquired left-handed starter Trevor Rogers, sending prospect Connor Norby and outfielder Kyle Stowers to the Marlins. The 26-year-old Rogers has been a dependable option for Miami most of the season and has a 4.53 ERA over 21 starts. Baltimore also added outfielder Eloy Jimenez from the White Sox and reliever Gregory Soto from the Phillies.

Arizona plugged a hole in its lineup by adding first baseman Josh Bell, who was hitting .239 with 14 homers for the Marlins. Miami will receive cash in return. Arizona was in need of a power hitter after first baseman Christian Walker left Monday's game with left oblique tightness and was put on the 10-day injured list.

Arizona also acquired right-handed reliever Dylan Floro from Washington for Triple-A infielder Andres Chaparro. Floro has a 2.06 ERA over 51 appearances this season.

Guardians acquire 2023 All-Star Cobb

The New York Mets acquired starter Paul Blackburn from Oakland for minor league right-hander Kade Morris. Blackburn was an All-Star in 2022 but missed more than two months this season with a stress reaction in his right foot before coming off the 60-day injured list last Friday. The right-hander is 4-2 with a 4.41 ERA in nine starts and figures to slot into a rotation missing injured ace Kodai Senga and rookie Christian Scott.

The Mets also added reliever Huascar Brazoban from the Marlins and righty Tyler Zuber in a deal with the Rays.

The Pirates also added left-hander Josh Walker from the Mets for minor league lefty Nicolas Carreno. Walker was at Triple-A but made 24 appearances for New York the past two seasons.

Kansas City received right-handed reliever Lucas Erceg from Oakland for right-hander Will Klein and a pair of minor leaguers. The 29-year-old Erceg is 2-3 with three saves and a 3.68 ERA in 38 appearances. Veteran infielder Paul DeJong was traded to Kansas City from the White Sox for right-hander Jarold Rosado and could walk across the ballpark to his new team, which was in Chicago.

Philadelphia added lefty Tanner Banks, sending a minor leaguer to the White Sox.

Mariners continue roster shuffle

Seattle, in a tight race with Houston for the AL West lead, reacquired right-hander JT Chargois from Miami for minor league right-hander Will Schomberg. Chargois pitched for Seattle during the first half of the 2021 season.

Chargois missed a big chunk of this season due to neck spasms, but had a 1.62 ERA in 15 games since his season debut June 12.

The 30-year-old Sims has a 3.57 ERA with 40 strikeouts in 35 1/3 innings over 43 appearances. He's made 210 appearances for the Reds, posting a 3.94 ERA since 2018. The Reds received a 19-year-old prospect, right-handed pitcher Ovis Portes. The Red Sox also added veteran righty Luis Garcia, sending a package of prospects to the Los Angeles Angels.

Leiter, 33, has a 4.21 ERA in 39 appearances this season. The Cubs received minor leaguers Ben Cowles and Jack Neely. The Yankees also added right-hander Enyel De Los Santos from the Padres and dealt lefty Caleb Ferguson to Houston.

Rangers bolster bullpen with Chafin

Reigning World Series champion Texas, in third place in the AL West, got left-handed reliever Andrew Chafin from Detroit for minor league right-handers Chase Lee and Joseph Montalvo. Chafin, in his 11th big league season, is 3-2 with a 3.16 ERA in 41 appearances and had allowed only one earned run in his last 18 games since June 8.

St. Louis added right-handed reliever Shawn Armstrong, sending outfielder Dylan Carlson and cash to the Tampa Bay Rays.

The Angels acquired right-hander Mike Baumann from San Francisco for cash. The 28-year-old Baumann has already pitched for the Orioles, Mariners and Giants this season, compiling a 4.84 ERA over 36 games.

The Giants added veteran outfielder Mark Canha in a deal that sent right-handed pitcher Eric Silva to the Tigers.