Toronto Blue Jays trade reliever Trevor Richards to the Minnesota Twins

The veteran reliever has spent the last three and a half seasons with the Blue Jays, becoming an important arm in the bullpen. He joined the team in July 2021 alongside Bowden Francis from the Milwaukee Brewers, who received Rowdy Tellez in the deal.

Richards, 31, has thrown 52.1 innings across 45 appearances this season for the Jays, posting a 4.64 ERA and 4.40 FIP. He’s struck out 22.5 percent of the batters he’s faced, and walked 11 percent. While he’s struggled with allowing higher-than-average rates of ground balls and flyballs, he’s been strong at limiting home runs and limits opposing line drives.

Harry, who was drafted in the sixth round of the 2023 draft, has played all three positions left of first base this season in High-A, including some work in the outfield. The lefty has struggled this season with a .214/.306/.349 slash line for a .655 OPS this season, hitting eight home runs and striking out two times as many times as he’s walked across 82 games. Despite that, his numbers have improved in June and into July, posting .751 and .647 OPS’ in those months, respectively. He’s had more success against right-handed batters this year than vs. lefties, with a .735 and .465 OPS split.

Despite a slow start this year, Harry was excellent last year in his first year of pro ball, slashing .339/.434/.468 for a .902 OPS. He played three games in rookie ball, but was quickly elevated to Low-A, where he played 27 games, hitting for a high average and walking 11 times and striking out just eight across 129 plate appearances.

He wasn’t listed among the top 30 Twins prospects by MLB.com.