The Toronto Blue Jays have made a habit of making player transactions after the trade deadline lately. First, they traded minor league pitcher Troy Watson to the Detroit Tigers for cash. Then they acquired Nick Raposo from the St. Louis Cardinals to get more catcher caps. Then they acquired reliever Tommy Nance from the San Diego Padres to get more bullpen caps. And finally, they traded speedy outfielder Cam Eden to the New York Yankees.
Well, it seemed the Jays weren’t done yet, as they filed another waiver claim during Saturday’s game. This time, they acquired 26-year-old right-handed pitcher Luis Frias from the Arizona Diamondbacks. The Diamondbacks had only recently designated Frias for transfer when they filed a waiver claim of their own to acquire catcher Andrew Knizner from the Texas Rangers.
Frias spent the last four seasons with the Diamondbacks, battling to a 2-2 record with a subpar 6.55 ERA and 1.89 WHIP while allowing a whopping 42 earned runs, 43 walks and 50 strikeouts in 57.2 innings at the major league level. Due to his inconsistency, he also spent a lot of time in the minors during his time with Arizona.
This year hasn’t been great for him either, as he’s only made seven appearances for the Diamondbacks, posting a horrific 9.95 ERA and 2.37 WHIP in just 6.1 innings pitched. Despite his struggles, however, it’s important to remember that Frias was still a key part of the Diamondbacks’ run to the World Series, posting a decent 1.35 ERA and 0.90 WHIP in 6.2 innings pitched in the playoffs, so there may still be some potential waiting to be tapped.
By joining Toronto, Frias will provide the organization with some much-needed pitching depth. Although he has been used primarily as a reliever over the past few years, he has also gained some experience as a starter, so he can certainly serve as a valuable bulk reliever if needed. Frias is looking forward to a fresh start with the Jays in Buffalo, having been traded after signing to their Triple-A affiliate team.
With the Jays likely holding auditions for possible spots on next year’s roster, it would not be a surprise if Frias were to don the Jays uniform before the end of the season.
