Astros near deal with Blue Jays to add Yusei Kikuchi to beleaguered lineup: sources

By Ken Rosenthal, Caitlin McGrath, and Chandler Romm

HOUSTON — The Astros bolstered their injury-plagued starting lineup with one of the best starters available for hire on the trade market.

Houston is acquiring left-handed pitcher Yusei Kikuchi from the Toronto Blue Jays, league sources say. The athlete Monday evening, giving the team stability in an area with nothing to speak of.

The Blue Jays’ exact return is not yet known, but it is expected to include promising starter Jake Bloss, who was left out of the starting lineup against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Monday. Other promising players are also expected to return, according to a league source.

Kikuchi is ranked #33 overall – and #7 among beginner ramen – on The athlete Top 50 Players on Trade Deadline List He is in the final year of a three-year, $36 million contract he signed with the Blue Jays before the 2022 season. He will be due the rest of his $10 million salary before becoming a free agent at the end of the season, temporarily putting the Astros above the second luxury tax threshold.

Kikuchi, 33, has had an up-and-down season with the Blue Jays, even losing his starting spot in 2022. However, he has blossomed into a consistent starter, having started 22 major league games this season.

Although he had a 4.75 K/9 before Monday’s game, his 10.1 K/9 rate ranks 10th in the American League. His 3.64 FIP and .344 batting average on balls in play suggest that bad luck is to blame for his high K/9.

Kikuchi is not a starter on the front line, nor is he expected to be a starter for the Astros. He has pitched at least 155 innings in two of the past three seasons, a number of innings that few current Houston players have ever pitched.

Two of the team’s most consistent players, Ronnell Blanco and Hunter Brown, are on track to break their own record for innings played. General manager Dana Brown and manager Joe Espada wanted to field a six-man lineup to give them a chance to rest, but with six starters on the injured list, there aren’t enough players available to make that happen.

Kikuchi, who will immediately fill in as the starting center behind Blanco, Brown and Framber Valdez, has entered. Kikuchi’s previous experience as a reserve could allow him to play in important games late in the season once Justin Verlander and Luis Garcia return from the injured list.

This story will be updated.

(Top photo of Yusei Kikuchi: Norm Hall/Getty Images)