The Toronto Blue Jays have traded left-handed pitcher Yusei Kikuchi to the Houston Astros. The deal gives the 33-year-old Japanese pitcher a new home and opportunity. The trade will see rookie right-handed pitcher Jake Bloss as a part of the return to the Blue Jays.
In Kikuchi’s time as a Blue Jay, he’s amassed a win-loss percentage of .488 and a career percentage of 0.439. He’s pitched 384 innings for the Blue Jays and has finished four games in his tenure. Across his career, he’s won 36 games (21 for the Blue Jays) and lost 46 (22 for the Blue Jays).
Kikuchi has had a good 2024 run with the Blue Jays, starting in 22 games and pitching in 115.2 innings. He’s allowed 125 hits, 63 runs, and 17 home runs. He’s accumulated 130 strikeouts across the 497 batters he’s faced. His earned run average (ERA) is at 4.75 at the time of writing. His career numbers are impressive for a pitcher. He’s faced 3232 batters in the 156 games (144 starts) he’s pitched in. Across that field, he’s pitched 749.2 innings and allowed 764 hits, 426 runs, and 133 home runs. He has 761 career strikeouts at the time of writing.
Jake Bloss is a good acquisition for a struggling Blue Jays team; he’s had a strong run in Houston’s development system but hasn’t found his footing with the Astros yet. Bloss has only started in three games and has had a tough run, but a change of scenery could do wonders for the 23-year-old rookie. He’s pitched 11.2 innings so far, allowing 16 hits, nine runs, and five home runs. He’s also accumulated 11 strikeouts, but his ERA is sitting at 6.94 for now.
