The Toronto Blue Jays trade deadline was productive. Earlier in the day, the Blue Jays added bullpen help. Now, they made two separate trades. Toronto and the Los Angeles Dodgers have agreed to send Mitch White and infield prospect Alex De Jesus to Toronto. Los Angeles will get pitching prospects Nick Frasso and Moises Brito. Meanwhile, the Kansas City Royals have traded Whit Merrifield to the Blue Jays for Samad Taylor and Max Castillo.
White lost his spot in the heavy Dodgers rotation and an active roster spot. Fans might know much about the 27-year-old, but he’s fairly consistent. Altogether, White owns a 3.70 ERA and 1.25 WHIP with a 47:19 K:BB through 56 innings this year. In addition to acquiring the right-hander, White is under team control through 2027. He figures to receive some starts for Toronto and perhaps out of the bullpen too.
De Jesus is hitting .272 with 11 home runs and 48 RBI with an .833 OPS for both Single-A Rancho Cucamonga and Advanced-A Great Lakes. He signed with the Dodgers in 2018. Brito is 2-4 with 32 strikeouts and a 1.86 ERA in 12 for the Dominican Summer League Blue Jays. In 10 games with Single-A Dunedin and High-A Vancouver, Frasso had a 0.74 ERA with 57 strikeouts through 36 2/3 innings. In addition, he was taken in the fourth round of the 2020 MLB Draft.
Merrifield is a two-time All-Star who missed the Royals’ trip up north last month due to his vaccination status. The 33-year-old is having the worst season of his career, hitting .240 with six home runs, 42 RBI and a .643 OPS. Kansas City did exercise their club option on Merrifield’s contract for next season. Furthermore, there is a mutual option of $18 million in 2024.
Castillo, who split time between Toronto and Triple-A Buffalo, has a 3.05 ERA in nine games with the Blue Jays. As for Taylor, he was the No. 16 prospect in the Blue Jays farm system. In 70 games with Triple-A Buffalo, Taylor is hitting .258/.357/.426 with nine home runs, 23 stolen bases, and 45 RBI.
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Players Mentioned:
Mitch White, Alex De Jesus, Nick Frasso, Moises Brito, Samad Taylor, Max Castillo
