The Kansas City Royals traded two-time All-Star second baseman/outfielder Whit Merrifield to the Toronto Blue Jays.
The Toronto Blue Jays acquired two-time All-Star Whit Merrifield and bolstered their bullpen by adding right-handers Anthony Bass and Zach Pope before Major League Baseball’s trade deadline on Tuesday.
The Jays acquired Merrifield shortly before the 6:00 PM ET deadline from Kansas City for pitcher Max Castillo and prospect Samad Taylor.
Merrifield was one of 10 Royals who could not accompany the team for a four-game series in Toronto last month because he was not vaccinated against COVID-19.
The 33-year-old, who can play second base and outfield, is hitting .240 with six home runs and 42 runs batted in this season.
He was a star last season when he hit .277 with 10 homers and 74 RBI.
Blue Jays GM Ross Atkins was excited about the pre-deadline trade.
“He (Merrifield) is such a good player. He is very complete with amazing experience, versatility, contact ability, speed, multi-position play, amazing baserunner, I feel very good with him in so many different positions and this versatility will help us going forward… we are already very good covered,” Atkins said in a Zoom call minutes before the Jays began their nine-game road trip in Florida.
GM didn’t mince words when asked about his plans to get vaccinated or if he’ll be playing at the Rogers Center anytime soon.
“He was acquired right at the deadline so it is a very fresh acquisition and therefore I will not comment further on this process for him and let him work with his family. I basically said hi to him and that was it,” Atkins added.
Editor’s note: The COVID-19 situation in sports and around the world is constantly evolving. Readers in Canada can consult the country’s public health website for the latest.
Earlier, the Jays acquired Bass and Pop from the Miami Marlins for prospect Jordan Groshans.
The Jays also acquired a player to be named later in the deal.
Bass, 34, is 2-3 with a 1.41 earned run average in 44 2/3 innings with the Marlins this season, with 45 strikeouts and 10 walks.
He spent the 2020 season with Toronto, going 2-3 with a 3.51 ERA in 26 appearances.
Bass will get the chance to play in meaningful games in front of Blue Jays fans, something he didn’t have the opportunity to do in his first stint with the club. The Blue Jays played home games during the shortened 2020 season at Sahlen Field, home of the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons, due to COVID-19 restrictions at the Canada-US border.
“You’re going to a team that has a chance to go to the postseason, which as players is what we always want to do,” Bass told reporters in Miami before the Marlins hosted the Cincinnati Reds on Tuesday.
“Our ultimate goal is to win the World Series. So that part is exciting, going to Toronto for that opportunity.”
Popp, 25, of Brampton, Ont., has a 2-0 record with a 3.60 earned run average in 18 appearances with the Marlins this season, his second appearance in the majors.
He was selected by the Blue Jays in the 23rd round of the 2014 MLB Draft, but decided not to sign and instead played collegiately at the University of Kentucky.
Popp, who says he grew up a Blue Jays fan, called the news of the deal “bittersweet” but said he’s looking forward to playing close to home.
“It’s very special to be able to come back home and see my family and play for the Blue Jays,” he said in Miami.
“I’ve got a lot of friends, a lot of people supporting them right now, and to be a part of what they’re doing over there is pretty amazing.”
Groshans, 22, was selected 12th overall by the Blue Jays in the 2018 MLB Draft.
In 67 games with the Bisons this season, he hit .250 with a home run and 24 RBIs.
The Blue Jays also acquired right-hander Mitch White and outfielder Alex DeJesus from the Los Angeles Dodgers in exchange for left-hander Moises Brito and right-hander Nick Frasso and dealt right-hander Jeremy Beasley to the Pittsburgh Pirates for cash.
In other moves, lefty Anthony Banda was designated for assignment and lefty Andrew Vasquez was waived by Philadelphia.
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