Houston Astros GM Speaks Out on Shocking Yusei Kikuchi Trade Price

The Houston Astros made a major trade Monday, acquiring starting pitcher Yusei Kikuchi from the Toronto Blue Jays.

While Kikuchi fills a significant void and will hopefully be a big piece in leading the Astros to the playoffs, the Astros had to pay a lot to get him. In fact, some believe it’s one of the largest trade payments in recent MLB history.

To acquire Kikuchi, Houston had to part ways with right-hander Jake Bloss, outfielder Joey Loperfido and infielder Will Wagner. Bloss and Loperfido are already MLB-ready, and Wagner also has a bright future ahead of him.

Many fans are unhappy with the amount Brown paid to acquire Kikuchi.

In response to the price he had to pay, Brown opened up and talked about the deal. The Astros have discussed other trades for starting pitchers, but those deals were apparently more expensive.

“We had a lot of discussions about most of these guys who were at the top of our board. The price tag for these guys was even higher and more painful.”

During the 2024 MLB season, Kikuchi started 22 games. He compiled a 4-9 record with a 4.75 ERA, 1.34 WHIP, 4.3 K/BB ratio, and 115.2 innings pitched.

Those numbers just aren’t good enough to justify the price tag of acquiring him. All fans can do at this point is hope that Kikuchi can pitch at a much higher level for the rest of the season than he has so far.

At 33, Kikuchi is also in the final year of his contract. Spending that much for a half-season rental is an even worse overpayment.

That being said, this trade will either be viewed as a massive loss for Houston or a deal that looks like an overpay and turned out to be a pleasant surprise. A middling second half of the season would still be viewed as a massive loss.

To live up to what the Astros paid for, Kikuchi will have to be a dominant starter every time. That doesn’t seem likely, but no one should ever say never.