The Toronto Blue Jays made their first deadline-day move by trading pitcher Francisco Liriano to the Houston Astros according to reports.
Outfielder Nori Aoki and minor leaguer Teoscar Hernandez are reportedly headed to Toronto in the deal.
Liriano, who turns 34 at the end of October, was acquired by the Blue Jays on Aug. 1, 2016 along with two minor leaguers in exchange for pitcher Drew Hutchison. Liriano compiled an 8-7 regular-season record with a 4.77 ERA in his time with Toronto. He also pitched twice out of the bullpen for Toronto in the 2016 post-season.
Liriano would add a left-hander to the Astros’ bullpen, which currently only has Tony Sipp who throws from that side. And if something were to befall one of the Astros starters, he could be another option beyond Joe Musgrove and Brad Peacock.
The Astros have a 68-36 record and have a 16-game lead over Texas in the AL West. But as the season dwindles toward the end, Liriano will be more valuable to the Astros in the bullpen, especially in the playoffs to pitch to tough left-handed hitters such as Cleveland’s Francisco Lindor and Jason Kipnis, Boston’s Andrew Benintendi and Jackie Bradley Jr., or the Dodgers’ Cody Bellinger and Corey Seager.
Aoki is batting .272 with a .323 on-base percentage and two home runs. He has spent the bulk of the season in left field, which has been a weakness for the Jays this year. Aoki, who will earn US$5.5 million this season, is eligible for arbitration in 2018 and due to be a free agent in 2019.
It’s unclear at this point whether Aoki has any value to the Blue Jays. He turns 35 in January, is a nominally average defensive outfielder and his on-base percentage declined from a .353 career mark in his first five seasons. His playing time has diminished a little recently after the Astros called up 2014 first-round pick Derek Fisher.
Hernandez was the Astros’ No. 9 prospect on the most recent MLBPipeline.com ranking and had 112 plate appearances for Houston in 2016. This season, his first full year in Triple-A, he has a .279 average and .854 OPS with 12 homers and 44 RBIs. Scouts like his speed and his improved plate discipline over the past couple of seasons.
The Blue Jays are expected to sell off other valuable pieces today with their season stuck in neutral. Toronto, which plays in Chicago tonight to end July, is currently 49-56 and in last place in the AL East. The Jays are seven games behind Kansas City for the last wild-card spot with six teams between them.
Oddly, Liriano’s next start in the rotation would have come Friday night in Houston. The Blue Jays will have until then to decide on a replacement.