In late May, the Minnesota Twins designated Simeon Woods Richardson after he posted an abysmal 7.74 ERA over 47 2/3 innings with the club this year. A few days later, the Twins traded Woods Richardson to the Toronto Blue Jays for cash.
Woods Richardson has thrown just 16 1/3 innings across six appearances in the big leagues since being acquired by Toronto. The Blue Jays designated him for assignment in late June and outrighted him to Triple-A Buffalo after he cleared waivers. On Aug. 10, the Blue Jays selected the former Twins right-hander's contract.
Woods Richardson has had outstanding results with the Blue Jays this year, recording a 0.55 ERA and a 1.10 WHIP. However, there are reasons to believe he has been getting lucky with his new club.
Over his 16 1/3 innings with the Blue Jays, Woods Richardson has allowed 10 walks and just 12 strikeouts. Long-term, that walk-to-strikeout ratio likely won't translate into continued success.
Granted, Woods Richards has allowed just eight hits during his time with the Blue Jays. However, he has a .200 BABIP with Toronto. BABIP typically hovers around .300 for most pitchers. If it's far below .300, regression is likely.
Twins made right decision to let Simeon Woods Richardson go
What I'm trying to say is, Twins fans shouldn't look at Woods Richardson's numbers and wish the team had kept him. The Twins could've brought Woods Richardson back when the Blue Jays designated him for assignment, but they, along with the other 28 teams, decided not to. The whole league passed on Woods Richardson for a reason.
Twins fans remember Woods Richardson as a starter, but he's been serving as a reliever for the Blue Jays. It seems clear Woods Richardson can't be an effective starter anymore, but there's a chance he could stick around in the league as a bullpen arm.
If the Twins hadn't improved their bullpen before the trade deadline, then maybe it'd be justifiable for fans to be upset that the team let him go. But since Minnesota acquired right-handers Jeff Hoffman and Tommy Nance from the Blue Jays and left-hander A.J. Minter from the New York Mets, the team is no longer desperate for relief help.
Obviously, we're rooting for Woods Richardson. He was a solid starter for two years with the Twins, so there's a chance he can continue to have success with Toronto. But for now, it appears Minnesota made the right decision to let him go.
Add us as a preferred source on Google