Toronto Blue Jays trade for P.J. Walters, Melky Mesa
By Aaron Somers
In an effort to add some depth to the organization, the Toronto Blue Jays have acquired right-hander P.J. Walters and outfielder Melky Mesa from the Kansas City Royals. Kansas City will receive cash considerations in return, according to the Kansas City Star’s Andy McCullough.
The Royals traded OF Melky Mesa and RHP PJ Walters to Toronto for cash considerations.
— Andy McCullough (@ByMcCullough) May 26, 2014
Walters, 29, has been relatively underwhelming for Kansas City’s Triple-A affiliate so far on the season. He’s made 10 appearances, including 8 starts, in which he’s thrown a total of 40.2 IP with a 7.97 ERA and 1.746 WHIP. This is the seventh season that he’s spent at least part of at Triple-A and the results have never truly been impressive.
He does have 152.0 innings of Major League experience under his belt, including 20 starts over the past two seasons with the Minnesota Twins. He’s 6-10 with a 6.28 ERA and 1.579 WHIP in that stretch, adding a 6.2 K/9 and 3.7 BB/9. Walters was originally an 11th Round pick by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 2006 Draft. He was included in the package of players that came to Toronto prior to the 2011 trade deadline (along with Colby Rasmus, Brian Tallet, and Trever Miller) but would only make one appearances in the Major Leagues for Toronto, walking one and striking out one in an inning of work.
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Mesa had initially been signed by the New York Yankees as an international free agent back in 2003 and finally broke through with some limited Major League exposure in 2012 and 2013. He’s seen 16 total plate appearances between the two stints, with a .400/.438/.533 line (six hits, two doubles). New York released him last September and he signed a minor league deal with the Royals this past December.
Just 27 years old, Mesa has been swinging the bat well at Triple-A for the Royals in limited action. He’s appeared in 23 games, batting .284/.346/.527 with five home runs in 81 PA. For his minor league career, however, he’s just a .247/.314/.440 hitter.
Neither Walters nor Mesa figures to play a prominent role for the Blue Jays over the remainder of the season, but they do give the team some added depth at the Triple-A level.