Toronto Blue Jays Make Trade and Get Awful News on Top Prospect on Saturday

Saturday was certainly an eventful day for the Toronto Blue Jays.

Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Ricky Tiedemann (70) delivers a pitch in the first inning of a spring training game against the Detroit Tigers at TD Ballpark on March 15. / Jonathan Dyer-USA TODAY Sports

The Toronto Blue Jays had an eventful Saturday afternoon, and that was an even before they took on the Texas Rangers at Rogers Centre.

First, the Jays got word that top prospect Ricky Tiedemann needs Tommy John surgery. Then, they traded reliever Nate Pearson to the Chicago Cubs for a pair of prospects.

With regards to Tiedemann, this is just the continuation of a frustrating career for him. The top prospect in the Jays organization, he missed a healthy portion of 2023 with injury and was slowed by injury early on in 2024. He only made eight appearances this year and went 0-1 with a 5.19 ERA.

#BlueJays No. 1 prospect Ricky Tiedemann needs Tommy John surgery, a massive blow to a farm system that's already been beaten up enough.

Story on what this means for Tiedemann and the team:https://t.co/0wEaiLdcuC

— Keegan Matheson (@KeeganMatheson) July 27, 2024

Armed with elite strikeout ability, he struck out 27 batters in 17.1 innings this year. He'll now be sidelined for the rest of 2024 and all of 2025 as well. The goal will be that he can come back healthy in 2026.

From one top prospect to another, the Jays traded away Pearson, who was also once a top prospect. He goes to the Chicago Cubs for SS Josh Rivera and OF Yohendrick Pinago, per Jesse Rogers of ESPN.

So Pearson to the Cubs for minor league SS Josh Rivera and OF Yohendrick Pinango https://t.co/3vrqrJIMtP

— Jesse Rogers (@JesseRogersESPN) July 27, 2024

Rivera was the No. 23 prospect in the Cubs organization while Pinango was the No. 29.

For more on Rivera, here's a portion of his MLB.com prospect profile:

Rivera developed more patience and hit the ball significantly harder in 2023 than he had previously. He always had displayed a quick right-handed swing and he did a better job of keeping it on plane, allowing him to drive the ball with authority to all fields. He has the upside of a .260 hitter with 15-20 homers per season, though he'll need to continue improving his selectivity to get there.

And on Pinango:

Pinango has some of the better bat-to-ball skills in the system, but in the past they translated into substandard contact and cut into his walk totals. He's now using a wider stance, loading his hands better and keeping his quick left-handed stroke in the zone longer. He's also making improved swing decisions, helping him to turn on more pitches and hit them harder than before.

The Blue Jays also traded away RP Yimi Garcia to the Seattle Mariners on Friday.

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