4 Teams in Pursuit of Blue Jays’ Yusei Kikuchi

Yusei Kikuchi's time as a Toronto Blue Jay is now down to hours. As of Monday morning, we have reports that four teams are in talks with the Jays to acquire the left-hander.

The Dodgers are among the teams discussing Yusei Kikuchi trade proposals with the Blue Jays.

The Twins, Padres and Astros also are involved.

A Kikuchi deal is seen as very likely before 6 pm ET tomorrow.@MLBNetwork
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) July 29, 2024

Insider Jon Morosi writes that the Los Angeles Dodgers, Minnesota Twins, San Diego Padres and Houston Astros are all chasing the Japanese southpaw. He also reports that a deal is "very likely" by Tuesday's 6pm deadline.

Kikuchi has been a true professional with Toronto, shaking off a brutal first season in 2022 after he signed a three-year, $36 million free agent deal, to come back with a stellar 2023, and had a terrific first half once again this season with the Jays.

The lefty, however, has been struggling of late, with a 7.34 ERA in his last seven starts, with a 1.54 WHIP. His control is still there, with a solid 47:11 strikeout-to-walk ratio over those 34.1 innings. Overall, he's 4-9 with a 4.75 ERA and a 1.34 WHIP, while striking out 10 batters per nine.

All of the teams named have been heavily involved in pursuing another piece for their rotation, and we'll see if Toronto can milk a bidding war for Kikuchi's services out of the four contenders.