Toronto Blue Jays acquire Liam Hendriks

Liam Hendriks has been well traveled over the past calendar year, but the right-hander will return to where he began the 2014 season after being traded to the Toronto Blue Jays by the Kansas City Royals. The 25 year old Australian had been designated for assignment back on October 25th.

FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal reported that the return heading back to Kansas City was expected to be a catcher. The team later confirmed that they’ll receive minor leaguer Santiago Nessy from the Blue Jays.

Source: #Royals trade RHP Liam Hendriks to #BlueJays. Return expected to be a catcher.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) October 30, 2014

Hendriks has spent the first three seasons of his big league career with the Minnesota Twins, with largely uninspiring results. He made 30 appearances (28 starts) with the team between 2011 and 2013, posting a 2-13 record and 6.06 ERA in 156.0 innings of work. Following the 2013 season, Hendriks became quite familiar with the waiver process. First he was claimed from the Twins by the Chicago Cubs on December 13th. Then, ten days later, the Baltimore Orioles claimed him from Chicago. He expected to head into Spring Training with the Orioles, only to find himself claimed once again this past February by the Blue Jays.

Unable to earn a spot on the team’s Opening Day roster, Hendriks was sent down to Triple-A to begin the 2014 season. He’d post impressive numbers with the team’s affiliate in Buffalo, going 8-1 with a 2.33 ERA and 0.914 WHIP in 108.1 IP. Hendriks made a pair of spot starts with Toronto in late May and another in June.

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A few days prior to the July trade deadline, the Blue Jays sent Hendriks and catcher Erik Kratz to the Royals for infielder Danny Valencia. Hendriks would again pitch well at Triple-A, before making six appearances with the Royals over the season’s final few weeks. Collectively he posted a 5.23 ERA and 1.378 WHIP in 32.2 IP in the major leagues on the 2014 season.

He’ll be out of options when the 2015 season begins, likely looking to win a long reliever role with the team if he’s unable to break into the starting rotation.

Nessy, meanwhile, split the season between Toronto’s Class-A and High-A affiliates. He hit .231/.313/.332 in 268 plate appearances. The 21 year old Venezuelan will be eligible for the Rule 5 Draft this December, but judging from his production in the minor leagues it seems highly unlikely that the Blue Jays would have added him to their 40-man roster to protect him.

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