On Monday, the Astros acquired lefty Yusei Kikuchi from the Blue Jays in exchange for 23-year-old righthander Jake Bloss, rookie outfielder Joey Loperfido, and minor league first baseman Will Wagner.
Kikuchi, 33, is 4-9 with a 4.75 ERA in 22 starts, striking out 130 and walking 30 in 115⅔ innings. He is 0-4 with a 7.75 ERA in eight starts since his victory versus Milwaukee on June 11.
Kikuchi has a 35-46 record with a 4.72 ERA over six seasons with Seattle and the Blue Jays. He earns $10 million in the final season of a $36 million, three-year contract and is eligible for free agency following the World Series.
Kikuchi will join a rotation that includes Ronel Blanco, Hunter Brown, Framber Valdez, and Spencer Arrighetti. Houston’s rotation is missing Justin Verlander (neck stiffness), Cristian Javier, and José Urquidy (both Tommy John surgeries).
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Bloss was pulled for his planned start against Pittsburgh on Monday.
He signed for a $497,500 bonus after being taken with the 99th pick in the third round of the 2023 amateur draft from Georgetown. Bloss made his major league debut on June 23 and is 0-1 with a 6.94 ERA over three starts. A day after making his major league debut, he was placed on the injured list due to right shoulder irritation and was activated on July 11.
Bloss made 13 starts at three minor league levels this season, going 4-2 with a 1.64 ERA.
Toronto opened the season with a $244 million luxury tax payroll, $7 million above than the tax threshold. As the deadline approached, the Blue Jays traded Justin Turner to Seattle, Danny Jansen to Boston, Nate Pearson to the Cubs, and Yimi García to Seattle.
The 25-year-old Loperfido made his major league debut on April 30 and is already batting.236 with two home runs and sixteen RBIs.
Wagner, who turned 26 on Monday, was a hitter.Triple A Sugar Land has 307 hits, five home runs, and 41 RBIs.
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