Toronto Blue Jays Post Awesome Goodbye Message to Pitcher on "X"

The Toronto Blue Jays traded away starting pitcher Yusei Kikuchi on Monday to the Houston Astros and then they put out an awesome goodbye message to him on "X."

Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Yusei Kikuchi (16) takes the mound against the Detroit Tigers during the fourth inning at Rogers Centre on July 20. / Kevin Sousa-USA TODAY Sports

The Toronto Blue Jays continued to clean house on Monday night, trading away starting pitcher Yusei Kikuchi to the Houston Astros.

It was the latest move for the last-place Jays, who have now dealt Yimi Garcia, Justin Turner, Kikuchi and Nate Pearson in the last week. The Jays aren't fully rebuilding but any one not on a long-term contract is susceptible to being dealt.

After the trade was finalized on Monday, the Jays put out an awesome goodbye message to Kikuchi, utilizing English and his native Japanese.

A great teammate, tremendously hard worker, and friend to all. Thank you for everything, Yusei

とても頼りになるリーダーであり、最高のチ-ムメイト、そしてみんなの友達。　雄星、今まで本当にありがとう御座いました！

A great teammate, tremendously hard worker, and friend to all. Thank you for everything, Yusei 💙❤️

とても頼りになるリーダーであり、最高のチ-ムメイト、そしてみんなの友達。　雄星、今まで本当にありがとう御座いました！ pic.twitter.com/u68ipbrv87

— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) July 30, 2024

The 33-year-old Kikuchi is one of the top rental arms on the market this year, featuring elite strikeout stuff. Though he's just 4-9 on the year, he has struck out 130 batters in 115.2 innings. He does have a 4.75 ERA so he's not a sure thing, but for an Astros team that is missing several pitchers due to injury, he represents an upgrade to the rotation. The Blue Jays picked up three intriguing prospects including outfielder Joey Loperfido in the deal.

In his sixth year in the majors with the Seattle Mariners and Blue Jays, Kikuchi is 36-46 lifetime with a 4.72 ERA. He's been somewhat of an enigma since coming over from Japan in 2019. He has flashed great ability, making the All-Star Game with Seattle in 2021, but has also shown to be inconsistent. What's still true is that he possesses the ability to miss bats, which is very valuable in today's game.

Kikuchi is currently struggling at the moment, having gone 0-3 with a 7.34 ERA in his last seven games. He lasted just 4.2 innings on Friday night in a walk-off win over the Texas Rangers.

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