Blue Jays Acquire Adrian Pinto, Raimel Tapia In Trade With Rockies For Randal Grichuk
Image credit: Randal Grichuk (Photo by Cole Burston/Getty Images)
The Blue Jays and Rockies swapped outfielders, with Randal Grichuk going to Colorado and Raimel Tapia heading to Toronto. The deal has significant upside for the Blue Jays, who were able to pry away a potential breakout prospect from the lower levels of the Rockies’ system in Adrian Pinto.
BLUE JAYS ACQUIRE
Adrian Pinto, 2B/SS
Age: 19
At 5-foot-6, Pinto is small, but he has an exciting blend of tools and performance. Ranked as the No. 60 international signing from the 2019 class after he signed out of Venezuela, Pinto made his pro debut last year in the Dominican Summer League and hit .360/.486/.543 in 54 games, ranking second in the league in batting average and on-base percentage, while his slugging average ranked fourth. He walked (38) more than twice as often as he struck out (18) and led the league in stolen bases with 41 in 49 tries. Pinto’s swing is quick and direct. He has a small strike zone that he uses to his advantage, recognizing pitches well and using excellent hand-eye coordination that leads to a high contact rate. Pinto has some sneaky juice for his size, but his offensive game is centered around getting on base with below-average power. His plus-plus speed is another weapon, as is his plus arm. He spent most of his time last year at second base, with time at shortstop and center field as well, although he likely fits best at second.
Raimel Tapia, OF
Age: 28
The Blue Jays are set up well in the outfield between Teoscar Hernandez, George Springer and Lourdes Gurriel Jr., so Tapia provides the team with a solid outfielder off the bench and a lefty to complement those righthanded bats. He has some center field experience but has primarily played left field, posting 1.0 WAR last year (per Baseball-Reference) while hitting .273/.327/.372 in 533 plate appearances.
ROCKIES ACQUIRE
Randal Grichuk, OF
Age: 30
Grichuk lacks plate discipline but does drive the ball with impact, creating a high-power, low-OBP hitter who hit .241/.281/.423 in 545 plate appearances last year, good for a 0.8 WAR season split between center and right field. The shape of Grichuk’s and Tapia’s skill sets are different, but their overall projected value this year is similar, with both scheduled to hit free agency after the 2023 season. Given that the Rockies project to be one of the worst teams in baseball this year, it’s strange to see them give up a prospect like Pinto to make that swap.
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