Twins add bullpen help with right-hander Trevor Richards in deadline trade with Blue Jays

NEW YORK (AP) — The Minnesota Twins acquired right-handed pitcher Trevor Richards from the Toronto Blue Jays on Tuesday before the major league non-waiver trade deadline, a boost for the bullpen in their quest to catch Cleveland and defend their AL Central title.

The Twins sent minor league infielder Jay Harry to the non-contending Blue Jays, who entered their game at Baltimore on Tuesday in last place in the AL East and eight games below the cut for the third and final AL wild card spot.

“We’re adding a very good proficient arm, someone that I know pretty well from watching him pitch for a long time,” Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said. “He’s really a guy that can match up against both lefties and righties. Got an excellent changeup and he just pitches. He can go two innings or maybe even more than that if you need him to.”

The Blue Jays, who’ve been trying to move under the $237 million tax threshold after starting the season with a $244 million payroll, dealt starting pitcher Yusei Kikuchi to Houston on Monday after previously trading away third baseman Justin Turner, catcher Danny Jansen and relievers Nate Pearson and Yimi García.

“We’re right on the razor’s edge there and hopefully that will be something we can navigate as a secondary benefit,” Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins said of the tax threshold.

Toronto also traded injured utility player Isiah Kiner-Falefa to Pittsburgh for minor leaguer Charles McAdoo. Kiner-Falefa, who has been out since June 30 with a sprained knee but is due back soon, batted .292 with eight doubles, two triples, seven homers and 33 RBIs in 257 at-bats. He has primarily been a shortstop but has also played third base, catcher, second base and all three outfield spots since his major league debut with Texas in 2018.

Kiner-Falefa signed a $15 million, two-year contract last winter that pays $7.5 million each in 2024 and 2025.

Richards is making $2.15 million this year. The 31-year-old has a 4.64 ERA in 52 1/3 innings with 24 walks, 49 strikeouts and a .189 opponent batting average. Since the start of last season, Richards has the eighth-best strikeouts-per-nine-innings ratio (11.09) in the AL.

“I think we have a good team. I believe in the group that we have in that room and hopefully we can continue to add to it from our group within,” Twins president of baseball operations Derek Falvey said.

This will be Richards’ fifth major league club, following stints with Miami, Tampa Bay and Milwaukee. He has a 4.51 ERA in 547 career innings.

“Trevor has been such an underrated part of our bullpen the past for the past couple years, whether it’s opening, starting, relieving, closing, leverage,” Blue Jays manager John Schneider said. “He takes the ball every single day. I think Trev understood that was a possibility. He’s been through it before.”

The Twins, who designated right-handed pitcher Josh Staumont for assignment to make room for Richards, could use more production in the bullpen before their late-inning specialists Jhoan Duran, Griffin Jax and Jorge Alcala. They entered Tuesday six games behind the Guardians in the division race but in the second AL wild card spot. The bullpen’s 3.93 ERA starting the day ranked 14th,

The 22-year-old Harry was a sixth-round draft pick in 2022 out of Penn State. He was playing this season for Cedar Rapids, Minnesota’s high Class A affiliate.