Blue Jays Trade Recently DFA'd Seabold for Minor League Pitching Prospect
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The Toronto Blue Jays have found themselves a part of some of Major League Baseball's biggest trades and signings over the last handful of seasons, yet some trades or moves fly under the radar, all while each is important to the future of the franchise.
The latest move that Toronto's front office has finalized involves recently DFA'd reliever Connor Seabold, who the Blue Jays acquired from the Detroit Tigers back on May 27. Seabold is headed back to the American League Central, this time as a member of the Kansas City Royals.
Who'd the Blue Jays Get In Return for Seabold?
The Blue Jays traded Juanmi Vasquez to the Tigers in return for Seabold, and now, the Blue Jays are trading Seabold to acquire right-handed pitcher Denis Samudio and cash from the Royals, as reported by Sportsnet's Ben Nicholson-Smith on X (formerly Twitter).
To make room for Seabold on their 40-man roster, Kansas City transferred RHP Carlos Estévez to the 60-Day Injured List, the Royals announced on their official X account. Seabold appeared in four games for Toronto, his most recent against the Baltimore Orioles on June 7. With zero strikeouts to his name in those four appearances, the Blue Jays have decided to move on.
Samudio now joins the Single-A affiliate of the Blue Jays, the Dunedin Blue Jays, as part of the deal. So far in 2026, the 21-year-old has pitched in six games, has made three starts and holds an ERA of 4.12 across 19.1 innings of work.
One thing that the Blue Jays coaching staff down in Single-A will likely work on with Samudio is his pitching command. In the 19.1 innings of work in 2026, Samudio has given up three home runs, 10 walks, and has struck out 22. His swing and miss stuff is strong for his age, but if he misses, the ball can go a long way.
In his short time in professional baseball, Samudio has been impressive enough to catch the eye of the front office in Toronto, as he holds a minor league career ERA of 2.56. As the Blue Jays continue to look toward the future, adding players like Samudio might not seem important now, but it will be down the line.
The Blue Jays have an important stretch coming up as they look to close out June above .500. Currently sitting 34-38 on the off day before taking on the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park starting Tuesday night,
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Dominic Minchella is a 2024 Eastern Michigan University graduate with a BA in Communications, Media, and Theatre Arts and a Journalism minor. He covers Major League Baseball for On SI and spends his free time watching games and sharing his insights.