Houston trades Loperfido, Billy Wagner's son Will in deadline deal for starting arm

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Yusei? You don't say.

The Houston Astros, a team in contention for an eighth consecutive American League Championship Series but plagued with starting pitching injuries, picked up 33-year-old Yusei Kikuchi from the Toronto Blue Jays in a deal made down to the wire of the MLB trade deadline.

On Monday, ESPN's Jeff Passan reported on the trade that would send pitcher Jake Bloss, outfielder/first baseman Joey Loperfido, and minor-league infielder Will Wagner, the son of Astros great Billy Wagner.

The Astros later confirmed the swap.

The report came after the Astros scratched Bloss from his start against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Relief pitcher Tayler Scott got the last-minute start.

Passan noted that the 'Stros needed to make a move following injuries to starting pitchers Justin Verlander, Cristian Javier, and Jose Urquidy, the latter two of whom are out for the season. Houston also watched as AL West rival Seattle bolstered its offense with acquisitions of Randy Arozorena and Justin Turner, Kikuchi's teammate in Toronto.

More about Yusei Kikuchi

Kikuchi has five seasons of MLB service but 13 years of overall professional baseball experience dating back to 2011 in his native Japan.

Kikuchi attended the same high school that Shohei Ohtani would later matriculate, the LA Times reported.

The Japanese-born star broke through in the Majors when he signed a four-year deal with the Seattle Mariners in 2019. He started 32 games that season and earned an All-Star nod in 2021, posting a 6-4 record in the first half of that season.

SEE ALSO: Astros add former Yankees relief pitcher on trade deadline day after acquiring Blue Jays' Kikuchi

Kikuchi has been with the Blue Jays since signing a three-year, $36 million deal in 2022. The Astros faced Kikuchi on July 3 when he stuck out five batters but allowed two runs, including a Yordan Alvarez sole home run in Toronto.

In addition, here are a couple of fun facts. The Blue Jays play an audio cue for every Kikuchi strikeout - the "You say" portion of Lisa Loeb's 1994 hit, "Stay."

Kikuchi also told Sports Illustrated that he aims to sleep 13 or 14 hours the night before a scheduled start.

"My teammates asked me how I'm able to sleep so much," he said through an interpreter. "But, like, honestly, if you close your eyes, I feel like you should be able to sleep."

SEE ALSO: Astros end an era in Oakland with win over A's

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