Blue Jays Acquire Rob Refsnyder From Yankees

Ryan McBroom was told to walk across the field and join the Trenton Thunder today. A few minutes later, it was reported the Blue Jays minor league prospect had been dealt to the Yankees organization in exchange for infielder Rob Refsnyder.

Refsnyder is a name you’re probably familiar with. He’s a right-handed hitting utility guy who’s bounced up and down between Triple-A and the big leagues for the past three seasons, struggling to find his footing with the Yankees after an impressive stint as a rookie in 2015. For his career, Refsnyder has made 262 plate appearances with New York, owning a .643 OPS, two home runs, and 17 RBIs. He’s played first base, second base, left field, and right field.

He’ll report to Triple-A Buffalo, though, based on Toronto’s thin-hitting infield situation right now, it wouldn’t be surprising if we saw him with the Blue Jays sooner rather than later. Refsnyder is slashing a .312/.390/.464 line through 159 plate appearances with Triple-A Scranton this season.

Going back in the deal is prospect Ryan BcBoom, a 15th round pick of the Blue Jays from the 2014 draft. He’s slashing a .243/.321/.402 line with Double-A New Hampshire this season and was named Midwestern league MVP after an excellent season with the Lansing Lugnuts in 2015.

This seems, at a glance, like a solid deal for both teams. Toronto needs versatile players, especially ones who can play at second base with Devon Travis’ unfortunate injury history. New York seems desperate for first basemen and the Jays have a plethora of them at the major league level and in the system.