TORONTO — As he began to reset for Jonah Heim after striking out Nathaniel Lowe in the fifth inning Friday night, Yusei Kikuchi picked up manager John Schneider walking to the mound, cocked his head to the right and then looked away in frustration.
It’s not just that things hadn’t gone his way, it’s that things hadn’t gone his way in what was, barring the unexpected, his final start for the Toronto Blue Jays. Not helping is one batter earlier, he’d allowed a two-run homer to Adolis Garcia that put the Texas Rangers ahead in what finished as a 6-5 walk-off Blue Jays win, and suddenly it was over, left to sit on a sour ending with his next start to come next week for a team-to-be-determined.
The scouts from at least four contending clubs who were on hand to watch not only saw him get up to 98.2 m.p.h. with a fastball that sat 96.5, but also the way a knowing crowd of 35,065 celebrated him as he walked off the mound, the way he tipped his cap, the way his Blue Jays teammates embraced him as he walked through the dugout.
Kikuchi pushed through it all stern-faced, eyes down, absorbing what was, no doubt, not the Toronto ending he wanted. But really, who on the Blue Jays is getting one of those, this year?
A reminder of what looms for him came about two-and-a-half hours before first pitch, when the Blue Jays traded Yimi Garcia to the Seattle Mariners for two prospects, outfielder Jonatan Clase and catcher Jacob Sharp.
How quickly Kikuchi’s fate is determined isn’t clear, although discussions about the lefty were expected to intensify Saturday morning. The quicker the resolution, the more time he has to acclimate to his new team ahead of his next start, with Wednesday being his first day on turn.
Already the starting pitching market is moving, with the Baltimore Orioles adding Zach Eflin and cash from the Tampa Bay Rays for three prospects, and the Boston Red Sox re-acquiring Canadian James Paxton from the Los Angeles Dodgers for a low-level prospect.
Neither offers up a great comp for Kikuchi, as the Eflin return includes a premium since the righty is under contract through the 2025 season, while Paxton had recently been designated for assignment and is more depth add than impact pick-up.
How teams view Kikuchi isn’t likely to be swayed much by his performance Friday — although the Blue Jays suffered a scare when Robbie Grossman’s comebacker glanced off Kikuchi’s right foot in the first inning — as he and Jack Flaherty of the Detroit Tigers are atop a relatively barren market of rental starters. Typically, teams do relatively well for that class of pitcher.
Kikuchi certainly has the stuff to be a legitimate playoff starter but after posting a 3.26 ERA through his first 14 starts, he’s struggled through his last eight outings, with a 7.75 ERA in 38.1 innings over that span. Still, he’s struck out 54 batters against just 11 walks in that time and the swoon corresponds to both the Blue Jays’ collapse and their bullpen coming completely undone.
Without the uncertainty hanging over him and the emotion of parting from a team that helped him reach his potential in the big leagues, it’s reasonable to think that Kikuchi will quickly bounce back into form.
All that is to come, leaving only the days of uncertainty before Tuesday’s deadline to bookend an eventful two-and-a-half seasons with the Blue Jays, during which he struggled in the first year of a $36-million, three-year deal, finishing the season in the bullpen, recovered in the second season and looked set to take it even a step further this year.
But nothing went to plan for the Blue Jays this season and Kikuchi instead became their top deadline trade chip. His final outing was as notable for fellow rentals Justin Turner collecting two hits, Kevin Kiermaier’s electric catch robbing Wyatt Langford of extra bases in the third and Jansen’s single and game-tying sacrifice fly in the seventh, as for Ernie Clement’s game-winning single.
