The Toronto Blue Jays acquired right-hander Simeon Woods Richardson from the Minnesota Twins for cash considerations on Wednesday night.
Woods Richardson was designated for assignment by the Twins on Saturday. He was 0-7 with a 7.74 ERA in 12 games, including 10 starts. His seven losses and 41 earned runs allowed are tops in the majors.
Woods Richardson, 25, is 12-17 with a 4.76 ERA for his career. He previously pitched in the minor leagues for Toronto.
The trade was announced during the Blue Jays' 7-3 loss to the Atlanta Braves.
Blue Jays manager John Schneider said Woods Richardson is “definitely a competitor and definitely has confidence on the mound.”
Schneider said he wasn't sure what role Woods Richardson will assume with Toronto, though he mentioned long relief and starter as possibilities.
“Whatever it is, he’s been good for a couple years and I think kind of got off track this year,” Schneider said.
Woods Richardson was a second-round pick by the New York Mets in 2018 and the right-hander moved from New York to Toronto to Minnesota. He broke into the majors in 2022 and joined the Twins’ rotation in 2024.
Schneider said Woods Richardson's history in the Blue Jays' organization gave the team familiarity in his strengths.
“So whenever you’re acquiring a player, you’re kind of doing homework before and especially with a player you’re fairly familiar with too,” Schneider said. “So I think there’s some tweaks to the arsenal we can make and you can never have enough pitching as we know right now.”
Schneider has not announced a starter for Thursday night's final game of the series in Atlanta. He said it would be “a tough ask” for Woods Richardson to make the start because travel arrangements were still being finalized on Wednesday night.
“I think he’s kind of a pretty good, stable guy in Minnesota’s rotation for a couple years, so I think having some confidence and hopefully maybe tweaking a few things here and there can get him back on track,” Schneider said.
