Former Blue Jays Standout Outfielder Gets Traded to Royals

The Toronto Blue Jays cannot be stopped right now, and it's fair to wonder how much further they can take this thing once they add even more reinforcements ahead of the trade deadline.

For a while it didn't appear like that was going to be the case.

Middling for the early part of the season, doomsday projections saw the Blue Jays becoming sellers ahead of July 31, offloading the many expiring contracts they have on their books.

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Instead, they own the best record in Major League Baseball and now are expected to be aggressive buyers.

A team on the other side of that equation is the Arizona Diamondbacks, as they have begun a fire sale that could feature many of the top players on the market getting sent to contenders.

The most recent Diamondbacks player on the move is Randal Grichuk, who Steve Gilbert of MLB.com reported is getting traded to the Kansas City Royals. Jon Heyman of The New York Post later added that it was in exchange for right-handed pitcher Andrew Hoffmann.

Toronto fans might remember Grichuk from his tenure with the franchise.

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Acquired from the St. Louis Cardinals ahead of the 2018 season for pitchers Dominic Leone and Conner Greene, Grichuk spent four years with the Blue Jays, slashing .243/.289/.461 with 90 homers and 257 RBI for an OPS+ right at the league average of 100.

His two best seasons in Toronto were the first two years, with him hitting 25 and 30 home runs in 2018 and 2019, respectively, adding 61 and 80 RBI as well. The Blue Jays felt Grichuk was going to be a major part of their future, inking him to a five-year, $52 million extension in April during the 2019 season.

But right before the 2022 campaign got underway, Toronto traded him to the Colorado Rockies in exchange for Raimel Tapia and Adrian Pinto, ending his tenure with the franchise.

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Grichuk spent the entire 2022 season with the Rockies before they traded him to the Los Angeles Angels ahead of the 2023 deadline. He later signed a deal with the Diamondbacks and had another breakout year, which earned him another deal with Arizona before this most recent trade.

Now, the former Blue Jay will be competing in the American League once again, attempting to be an offensive piece that allows the Royals to make a run at the playoffs.

For more Blue Jays news, head over to Blue Jays On SI.