É«É«À²

The Jays have plenty of time to assess their incoming players but the same cannot be said about the teams that acquired the outgoing ones. With the post-season barely a month away and pennant races starting to heat up, contending clubs require immediate results.

Here’s a closer look at whether the former Jays are living up to their end of the bargain:

Yusei Kikuchi

2-0, 2.42 ERA, 22 1/3 IP, 31 K

The left-hander has not allowed more than two earned runs in any of his four starts with the Houston Astros. He is using his changeup more while continuing to rack up strikeouts. Did the Astros magically turn him into an ace? Kikuchi’s track record, which is littered with peaks and valleys, suggests another dip might be coming. He had two stretches of four starts earlier this season in which he allowed two earned runs or fewer with similar strikeout totals.

The return: Bloss, who was initially perceived to be the key player in the package for Kikuchi, hasn’t allowed an earned run over 6 2/3 innings with Triple-A Buffalo. Wagner had 10 hits in his first 20 at-bats with the Jays while Loperfido suffered through an 0-for-23 stretch before showing signs of life. Both sides are getting what they needed from this deal.

Yimi Garcia

9 IP, 6 ER, 4 BB, 7 K

Garcia was Mr. Reliable for the Jays, but it has been a different story with Seattle. The right-hander allowed six runs in his first nine innings, including three homers. That matches the number of homers he surrendered with the Jays despite 20-plus fewer innings.

The return: Outfielder Jonatan Clase is off to a slow start in Buffalo with a .224 average and .667 OPS.

Justin Turner

.196 AVG, 1 HR, .580 OPS

A change of scenery has done little to improve the designated hitter’s fortunes. The 39-year-old debuted for the Mariners out of the cleanup spot and has since been dropped as low as seventh in the batting order. Seattle had a one-game lead in the AL West at the deadline and entered play Tuesday five games back, thanks in part to the poor performance of their recent additions.

The return: Outfielder RJ Schreck is batting .308 with a 1.025 OPS in 15 games at Double-A New Hampshire.

Danny Jansen

.281 AVG, 2 HR, 5 RBI, .830 OPS entering Tuesday

Jansen isn’t playing that much for Boston as he is stuck in a catching time-share with Connor Wong. However, he’s making the most of his opportunities with a pair of homers and a well-above average OPS across 32 at-bats.

The return: Infielder Cutter Coffey has struggled with a .539 OPS in Class-A Vancouver while shortstop Eddinson Paulino is on the injured list. Nineteen-year-old right-hander Gilberto Batista only recently debuted at Class-A Dunedin.

Isiah Kiner-Falefa

.258, 6 extra-base hits, .699 OPS

Kiner-Falefa has become the regular second baseman in Pittsburgh while also making spot starts at shortstop. His average has fluctuated because of a small sample size but he’s essentially performing the same way for the Pirates as he did in É«É«À².

The return: Charles McAdoo went 0-for-20 across his first six games at Double-A and has since gone 12-for-28 with three homers.

Trevor Richards

9 IP, 3 ER, 7 BB, 10 K

Richards got off to a horrible start with Minnesota. During his third appearance, he allowed three runs while walking five batters in two-thirds of an inning. Within two weeks, he had the team lead with four wild pitches. Overall, though, the right-hander has been solid with 8 1/3 scoreless innings in his other seven games.

The return: Utilityman Jay Harry, is batting .244 with a .775 OPS in 11 games for Vancouver.

Nate Pearson

9 1/3 IP, 3 ER, 2 BB, 7 K

The Chicago Cubs appear intent on turning the right-hander into more than a one-inning reliever. Pearson had four two-inning appearances in four months with the Jays and already has three in three weeks with the Cubs.

The return: Outfielder Josh Rivera has just four hits in 39 at-bats for New Hampshire while Yohendrick Pinango is batting .250 at the same level.

Kevin Kiermaier

.226 AVG, 1 2B, 1 3B, .628 OPS

Kiermaier played a lot upon joining the Los Angeles Dodgers but his opportunities have started to dwindle following the returns of Tommy Edman and Mookie Betts from injuries. Kiermaier has a .628 OPS in 31 at-bats with the Dodgers, which is a tick above what he was producing for É«É«À². 

The return: Yarbrough has allowed four runs in 5 2/3 innings with the Jays.