When the Blue Jays dealt Rowdy Tellez to the Milwaukee Brewers on July 21, 2021, few could have predicted that more than three years later it would still be considered the trade that keeps on giving.
Tellez came up through the Jays’ minor-league system as a top prospect, but by the time 2021 rolled around he was an afterthought. His top responsibilities included backing up Vladimir Guerrero Jr. at first base and being a part-time designated hitter.
The Jays didn’t have much use for Tellez, so shortly after the all-star break they sent him to Milwaukee for a pair of pitchers. It was supposed to be one of those rare win-win deals where both sides got what they needed, but it has become something else entirely.
Trading Tellez for Trevor Richards would have been fair enough. While Richards arrived too late to make a difference in the standings that year, he helped repair the Jays bullpen and spent parts of four seasons in a valuable relief role. Tellez turned into a post-season hero and had another strong year for the Brewers in 2022 before regressing and later getting cut loose.
What has since turned the trade into a fleecing was the inclusion of Bowden Francis, who can no longer be considered a throw-in. The former long reliever has been enjoying a breakout season and suddenly finds himself as the hottest pitcher in the majors.
Francis put up historic numbers this month. He made five starts and didn’t allow more than two earned runs in any of them. On Aug. 24, the 28-year-old came within three outs of tossing the second no-hitter in franchise history. Five days later, he took another no-hitter into the sixth against the Boston Red Sox.
Francis finished August 4-0 with a 1.06 ERA as a starter while striking out 39 in 34 innings. His 0.38 walks and hits per inning were the lowest by a pitcher with at least four starts in a calendar month in the modern era.Â
In the 1980s, baseball statistician Bill James created game scores, which were designed to measure a pitcher’s performance in any given appearance. The number, per MLB, is derived from the quality (based on runs, hits, homers, walks, strikeouts) and quantity (innings) of a starting pitcher’s performance.
 produced four consecutive starts with a game score of at least 78: Randy Johnson, Pedro Martinez, Clayton Kershaw, Johan Santana and Francis. That’s two Hall of Famers, a soon-to-be Hall of Famer, a two-time Cy Young Award winner and Francis.
That’s some elite company. Richards for Tellez would have worked out fine for both the Jays and Brewers, but it’s the emergence of Francis that has turned this trade into one of general manager Ross Atkins’ best heists.
Cautionary tale
There are a lot more reasons to be positive about the Jays than there were earlier this season. Aging veterans on expiring deals have been replaced with younger prospects who provide hope for the future. But before anyone gets too carried away with the recent results, consider the case of Davis Schneider.
At this time last year, Schneider was the new “it” guy. He burst onto the scene with a home run in his debut at Fenway Park on Aug. 4 and proceeded to hit .276 with a 1.001 on-base-plus-slugging percentage. Schneider played so well it prompted complaints from the fan base — and this columnist — that he wasn’t being used more.
The shine has long since worn off. Since the start of June, Schneider is batting .157 with eight extra-base hits and 71 strikeouts in 185 at-bats. He’s no longer a viable candidate to start in left field or at second base and has been relegated to part-time duties off the bench.
Schneider was a 28th-round draft pick in 2017 who defied the odds by getting to the majors. He’s an easy guy to root for, and the Jays hope he will make the necessary adjustments this off-season to get his career back on track. Yet his performance serves as a reminder that tough times could still be ahead for Spencer Horwitz, Will Wagner, Addison Barger and maybe even Francis.
The reunion’s off
The Jays have nothing but positive things to say about Richards’ time with the organization, but the same won’t be said about the team that acquired him at this year’s trade deadline. The Minnesota Twins added Richards to upgrade their bullpen and he didn’t last a month.
Richards was designated for assignment this week after rough back-to-back outings. The 31-year-old tossed seven scoreless outings for the Twins, but in his other three appearances he allowed six runs on six hits and nine walks in 4 2/3 innings. That means he’s not around to face the Jays during this weekend’s series at Target Field.
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