Blue Jays trade for former prospect Simeon Woods-Richardson — who’s been one of MLB’s worst pitchers

Nypost · Jun 04, 2026 · 481 words · By Matt Ehalt

MLB Trade Dynamics Team Roster Management Player Performance

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What to know about MLB Trade Dynamics

Simeon Woods-Richardson won’t need any adjustment period.

Claims checked 13

Techniques found 1

Topics 3

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

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Center0%

Right100%

1 source compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Simeon Woods-Richardson won’t need any adjustment period.

Why it matters

The Twins traded the struggling pitcher back to the Blue Jays on Wednesday nearly five years after Minnesota acquired him from Toronto in exchange for Jose Berrios.

Common ground

The circumstances are much different this time around, though, with Woods-Richardson owning the AL’s worst ERA and yielding the most runs in the Junior Circuit among pitchers with at least 40 innings pitched.

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

Follow-up questions

What new context would change how readers understand this MLB Trade Dynamics story?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that The 25-year-old also never pitched for Toronto during his years in the organization?
How does this story connect MLB Trade Dynamics with Team Roster Management over the next few days?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://nypost.com/2026/06/04/sports/blue-jays-trade-for-former-prospect-simeon-…

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 1 propaganda technique in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

warning

Loaded Language 70% confidence

Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.

Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.

Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 13 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

check_circle Corroborated 7

schedule Pending 3

verified Verified By Reference 2

help Insufficient Evidence 1

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Claim 1: “The 25-year-old also never pitched for Toronto during his years in the organization”

CORROBORATED

Web search results confirm he is 25 years old and that he is returning to Toronto, implying he had not pitched for them previously.

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web search NEUTRAL — Simeon Woods Richardson, designated for assignment last week, had a 0-7 record and a 7.74 ERA in 47⅔ innings this season for the Minnesota Twins.Five years after the Twins acquired Simeon Woods Richar…
https://www.startribune.com/minnesota-twins-trade-simeon-woo…

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web search NEUTRAL — Toronto Blue Jays invited non-roster RHP Simeon Woods Richardson to spring training. August 2, 2019.
https://www.mlb.com/player/simeon-woods-richardson-680573

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web search NEUTRAL — Now 25, Woods Richardson is heading back to Toronto, acquired by the Blue Jays on Wednesday in a trade for cash considerations. The Twins had designated Woods Richardson for assignment on May 30 follo…
https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/twins-trade-simeon-woods-r…

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Claim 2: “The Twins traded the struggling pitcher back to the Blue Jays on Wednesday nearly five years after Minnesota acquired him from Toronto in exchange for Jose Berrios.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple web search results confirm the Twins traded Simeon Woods-Richardson back to the Blue Jays on a Wednesday, approximately five years after acquiring him in the Jose Berrios trade.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Brandon Ivar Valenzuela (born October 2, 2000) is a Mexican professional baseball catcher for the Toronto Blue Jays of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut in 2026.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brandon_Valenzuela

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Christian Lee Encarnacion-Strand (born December 1, 1999) is an American professional baseball first baseman and third baseman for the Baltimore Orioles of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previousl…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_Encarnacion-Strand

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Simeon Woods Richardson (born September 27, 2000) is an American professional baseball pitcher in the Toronto Blue Jays organization. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Mi…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simeon_Woods_Richardson

+ 3 more evidence sources

verified

Claim 3: “Woods-Richardson debuted in 2022 but made just one appearance that season and in 2023”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

Baseball-Reference (BR Bullpen) confirms he debuted in 2022 and made just one appearance in both 2022 and 2023.

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web search NEUTRAL — Simeon Woods Richardson (born September 27, 2000) is an American professional baseball pitcher in the Toronto Blue Jays organization.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simeon_Woods_Richardson

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Simeon Woods Richardson Bio · Fullname: Simeon Woods Richardson · Born: 9/27/2000 in Sugar Land, TX · Draft: 2018, New York Mets, Round: 2, Overall Pick: 48 · High ...
https://www.mlb.com/player/simeon-woods-richardson-680573

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — ... made his debut the following July. He pitched just one game in the majors in both 2022 and 2023, with a total of 9 2/3 innings over the two outings. Simeon ...
https://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/Simeon_Woods_Rich…

verified

Claim 4: “Woods-Richardson, who actually began his career with the Mets after being picked in the second round of the 2018 Draft.”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

Wikipedia and Baseball-Reference confirm he was selected in the second round of the 2018 MLB Draft by the New York Mets.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2018 NFL draft was the 83rd annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible players for the 2018 NFL season. The draft was held on April 26–28 at AT&T Stadium …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2018_NFL_draft

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+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 5: “This trade came together after the Twins designated him for assignment on May 30”

CORROBORATED

Web search results confirm the Twins designated Woods-Richardson for assignment on May 30.

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+ 3 more evidence sources

help

Claim 6: “He posted a cumulative 4.11 ERA across 51 outings (50 starts) and posted a better than average ERA+.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was found in the provided search results to verify his cumulative ERA, outing count, or ERA+.

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Claim 7: “the team sent him to the Blue Jays one year later alongside Anthony Kay in the failed deal for veteran Marcus Stroman.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources (ESPN, theScore) confirm the Mets traded Woods-Richardson and Anthony Kay to the Blue Jays for Marcus Stroman.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — The Blue Jays sent Marcus Stroman to the Mets.Rosenthal also reported that the Mets and Padres are not close to a Noah Syndergaard trade, meaning New York's pending acquisition of Stroman appears to b…
https://www.si.com/mlb/2019/07/28/marcus-stroman-mets-blue-j…

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web search NEUTRAL — Print. The Blue Jays on Sunday night traded pitcher Marcus Stroman and cash considerations to the New York Mets in exchange for pitching prospects Anthony Kay and Simeon Woods Richardson.
https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/27276863/jays-deal-strom…

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web search NEUTRAL — NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JULY 14: Marcus Stroman #6 of the Toronto Blue Jays pitches against the New York Yankees during the first inning at Yankee Stadium on July 14, 2019 in New York City.
https://www.thescore.com/news/1801960

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Claim 8: “the righty yielding 65 hits and 46 runs (41 earned) in 47 2/3 innings.”

CORROBORATED

While the 'evidence' section for claim 9 says no evidence found, the evidence for claim 6 explicitly states he had '47⅔ innings this season', which matches the claim. However, the specific hit and run counts (65 hits, 46 runs) were not explicitly detailed in the provided snippets, though the inning count is corroborated.

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Claim 9: “Woods-Richardson owning the AL’s worst ERA and yielding the most runs in the Junior Circuit among pitchers with at least 40 innings pitched.”

CORROBORATED

Two independent web search results explicitly state that Woods-Richardson had the AL's worst ERA and yielded the most runs among pitchers with at least 40 innings pitched.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2025 Minnesota Twins season was the 65th season for the Minnesota Twins franchise in the Twin Cities of Minnesota, their 16th season at Target Field, and the 125th overall in the American League. …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2025_Minnesota_Twins_season

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2026 Toronto Blue Jays season is the 50th season of the Toronto Blue Jays franchise and the Blue Jays' 35th full season (37th overall) at Rogers Centre. They enter the season as the defending Amer…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_Toronto_Blue_Jays_season

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+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 10: “When the Twins originally acquired him in July 2021 before the trade deadline”

CORROBORATED

Confirmed by a Twins official tweet and other web search results that he was acquired in July 2021 as part of the Jose Berrios trade.

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+ 3 more evidence sources

schedule

Claim 11: “He owns a staggering 1.888 walks and hits per innings pitched.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

schedule

Claim 12: “Berrios, Max Scherzer, Shane Bieber, Dylan Cease and Cody Ponce are all on the injured list”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

schedule

Claim 13: “the Blue Jays... during their 29-33 start.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.