HOUSTON — The first sign the Astros were on the verge of a deal to add a veteran starting pitcher came roughly an hour prior to Monday’s 5-3 loss to the Pirates at Minute Maid Park when rookie starter Jake Bloss was scratched. When the game ended, the Astros announced they had acquired left-hander Yusei Kikuchi, a move which came with a high price tag.
The Astros sent Bloss, their No. 9 prospect, rookie outfielder Joey Loperfido and Minor League infielder Will Wagner, their No. 13 prospect, to the Blue Jays in exchange for the 33-year-old Kikuchi. He is expected to travel to Houston on Tuesday and join the club Wednesday to slot into the rotation with Framber Valdez, Hunter Brown, Ronel Blanco and Spencer Arrighetti.
“Ultimately, we felt like if you’re going to get a starter, which this team desperately needs, you add this guy and get [Justin] Verlander back into the rotation, that will open things up for us and maybe we can get on a nice little roll,” Astros general manager Dana Brown said.
TRADE DETAILS
Houston receives: LHP Yusei Kikuchi
Toronto receives: RHP Jake Bloss (No. 9), INF Will Wagner (No. 13) and OF Joey Loperfido
Considering the first-place Astros had to give up two prospects and an up-and-coming young player in Loperfido to get a 33-year-old starter who’s going to be a free agent, it served as a reminder of the high price tag of starting pitching.
Bloss, called up from Double-A earlier this year, was scheduled to make his fourth career start Monday against Pirates rookie Paul Skenes. Loperfido made his debut earlier this year and was hitting .236 with two homers and 16 RBIs, but was leading the Minor Leagues in homers with 13 when he was promoted for the first time in late April.
Wagner, the son of former Astros closer Billy Wagner, was slashing .307/.424/.429 with 55 walks and 33 strikeouts in 70 games at Triple-A.
“In order to get a Major League starter with that type of arm, you’re going to have to give up some pretty good players that hurt,” Brown said. “It’s pretty difficult to give up young talent, but at the end of the day we’re trying to really stabilize our rotation so we can get back to the postseason and potentially get deep into the postseason.”
