Jays deal relievers Loup and Axford before trade deadline
TORONTO — The Toronto Blue Jays traded two relief pitchers for prospects before Tuesday’s Major League Baseball nonwaiver trade deadline, sending long-serving left-hander Aaron Loup to the Philadelphia Phillies and Canadian right-hander John Axford to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The 30-year-old Loup, the longest-tenured Blue Jay before the trade, was dealt for minor-league right-handed pitcher Jacob Waguespack. Axford, 35, was traded for right-hander Corey Copping.
Tuesday’s deals ended a busy period for Toronto that also saw the Jays deal controversial closer Roberto Osuna to Houston and dependable left-handed starter J.A. Happ to the New York Yankees.
The cumulative return for the Blue Jays is a mixed bag. Some new acquisitions such as infielder Brandon Drury and closer Ken Giles are major-league ready, while others will bolster the Jays’ system for now.
“Adding these pieces is extremely exciting,” Jays general manager Ross Atkins said Tuesday on a conference call.
“We’re going to have a lot of opportunity over the off-season to optimize our young talent with the right complimentary pieces,” Atkins said.
The 24-year-old Waguespack, a six-foot-six, 225-pound pitcher from Waco, Texas, is a combined 4-6 with a 4.68 ERA in 21 games for the double-A Reading Fightin Phils the triple-A Lehigh Valley IronPigs.
Waguespack only had to change dugouts at Coca-Cola Field to join his new team.
The IronPigs are in Buffalo for a series with the Bisons, the Blue Jays’ triple-A affiliate.
Copping, 24, is 4-0 with a 2.52 ERA in 35 games for the double-A Tulsa Drillers and triple-A Oklahoma City Dodgers. The 6-1, 175-pound righty from Pasadena, Calif., owns a career record of 11-4 and a 3.37 ERA in four minor-league seasons.