The Minnesota Twins appeared to throw in the towel on starting pitcher Simeon Woods Richardson when they designated him for assignment last week. Instead, it appears they have sent him back to where he started.
According to Sportsnet’s Arden Zwelling, the Toronto Blue Jays have acquired Woods Richardson from the Twins in exchange for cash considerations after he was DFA’d on May 30. Compensation in the deal has not been revealed or if the Blue Jays had acquired him on waivers, but it represents another chance for the right-hander to get his career going after it fell apart after being acquired in the 2021 trade involving Jose Berríos.
Twins send Simeon Woods Richardson to Blue Jays
Woods Richardson came to Minnesota with big hopes as a top 100 prospect acquired for a top-of-the-rotation starter. Berríos had mostly served as the Twins ace for his six seasons with the team, but with rumors that he was not interested in an extension, former president of baseball operations Derek Falvey flipped him for Woods Richardson and current Twins infielder Austin Martin.
Martin finally carved out a full-time role in the major leagues this season but Woods Richardson appeared to be the centerpiece in the deal. A prospect that ranked as high 61st in Baseball America’s 2020 version of its top prospect list per Baseball-Reference, Woods Richardson made his major league debut with the Twins in 2022 at 21 years old and started to settle in the past two years, going 12-9 with a 4.11 ERA in 51 appearances (50 starts).
But things changed this season. Leaning on his splitter more, Woods Richardson allowed a 7.74 ERA in 47.2 innings and was charged with an MLB-high seven losses in his 12 appearances. While they attempted to convert him to a bullpen role, a five-run outing against the Chicago White Sox on May 28 and a lack of fresh arms in the bullpen led to his departure last weekend.
For Woods Richardson, he’ll join a pitching staff that needs immediate help. Berríos is out for the season after undergoing Tommy John surgery last month and the Blue Jays rank 11th in starting pitcher ERA at 3.93 as of Wednesday night. He also rejoins the organization he was traded to by the New York Mets in a 2019 trade for Marcus Stroman and will hope to regain some of the potential he showed as a prospect.
Meanwhile for the Twins, it appears to be a wash. While Martin has played well in the outfield, Minnesota is short on starting pitching due to multiple injuries to the staff. Thursday’s game is scheduled to be a bullpen game started by rookie Andrew Morris and the sting of losing one of their key pieces from the Berríos trade could sting as they look to stay in the American League playoff race.
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