Twins fans have reason to take a step back before getting too worked up about Simeon Woods Richardson’s recent run with Toronto.
Minnesota cut ties with the right-hander in late May after he put up a 7.74 ERA over 47 2/3 innings with the club this year. A few days later, the Twins moved him to the Blue Jays for cash.
Since then, Woods Richardson’s path has been a little bumpy: he logged only 16 1/3 innings in six big-league appearances for Toronto before the Blue Jays designated him for assignment in late June and outrighted him to Triple-A Buffalo after he cleared waivers. Toronto then selected his contract on Aug.
The surface numbers with the Blue Jays are eye-catching. Woods Richardson has posted a 0.55 ERA and a 1.10 WHIP in Toronto. But the underlying profile suggests that kind of run may be hard to sustain.
In those 16 1/3 innings, he has walked 10 batters and struck out only 12. That kind of walk-to-strikeout ratio usually doesn’t lead to lasting success. He’s also allowed just eight hits, but his .200 BABIP with Toronto stands well below the roughly .300 mark that most pitchers tend to sit around, which points to possible regression.
So no, Twins fans probably shouldn’t be looking at those numbers and wishing Minnesota had held onto him. The Twins could have brought Woods Richardson back when Toronto designated him for assignment, but they - along with the other 28 teams - passed. That says something.
It also matters that Woods Richardson is being used differently now. Minnesota remembered him as a starter, but Toronto has deployed him out of the bullpen. At this point, it looks like he may no longer be able to hold down a starting role, though he still has a chance to carve out a place as a reliever.
And the Twins’ own bullpen picture has changed. If Minnesota had gone into the deadline still scrambling for relief help, there’d be a stronger case for second-guessing the decision.
Instead, the club added right-handers Jeff Hoffman and Tommy Nance from the Blue Jays and left-hander A.J. Minter from the New York Mets.
Woods Richardson was a solid starter for two years with the Twins, so it’s fair to hope he keeps finding success in Toronto. But based on what’s happened so far, Minnesota looks to have made the right call.
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