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Throwback Thursday: The Blue Jays acquire Devon White from Angels
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Photo credit: © Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images
Ryley Delaney
May 8, 2025, 18:00 EDTUpdated: May 8, 2025, 17:56 EDT
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On Thursday, the Toronto Blue Jays look to avoid the sweep at the hands of the Los Angeles Angels.
In total, the two teams have made 19 trades since the Blue Jays entered the league before the 1977 season. There hasn’t been a bigger trade between the two teams than the one that occurred on Dec. 2, 1990, in which the Jays acquired a big piece for their back-to-back World Series wins. In this edition of Throwback Thursday, we’ll take a look at the trade that brought Devon White to the Blue Jays.
Up to this point in their history, the Blue Jays hadn’t done a whole lot. In 1985, they finished first in the American League East, but fell in seven games to the Kansas City Royals in the American League Championship Series. After finishing fourth, second, and third in the following three years, the Jays once again finished first in their division, only to lose to the Oakland Athletics in five games in 1989.
In 1990, the Jays finished with an 86-76 record to finish second in the AL East, missing the postseason. It was the eighth consecutive season with a record above .500, yet they had only made the playoffs twice. A couple of months after their season ended, the Jays sent Junior Félix and Luis Sojo to the California Angels for White, Willie Fraser, and Marcus Moore.
White, who now uses the original spelling of his last name of “Whyte”, had his best season in the big leagues in 1991, slashing .282/.342/.455 with 17 home runs in 715 plate appearances, posting a 119 wRC+ and a 6.4 fWAR. The centre fielder earned MVP votes that season and earned his third career Gold Glove.
As for the team, the Blue Jays once again won the American League East title, but fell in five games to the Minnesota Twins in the AL Championship Series. But then came the 1992 season.
White’s numbers regressed in his second season as a Blue Jay, slashing .248/.303/.390 with 17 home runs in 696 plate appearances for a 93 wRC+ and 5.9 fWAR. White won his fourth Gold Glove, but more importantly, the Jays finished first in the AL East once again.
For the first time in franchise history, they won in the AL Championship Series, defeating the Athletics in six games. Facing the Atlanta Braves in the World Series, they defeated them in six games to win their first World Series in franchise history. White’s most famous play came in Game 3, as he caught the ball at the wall and started what should’ve been the second triple play in World Series history.
In 1993, White slashed .273/.341/.438 with 15 home runs in 668 plate appearances for a 109 wRC+ and a 5.4 fWAR, winning his fifth Gold Glove and heading to his second All-Star game. The Blue Jays once again finished first in the AL East with a 95-67 record, and once again one the World Series.
They defeated the Chicago White Sox in six games in the ALCS, before defeating the Phillies in the same number of games, thanks to Joe Carter’s famous walk-off home run, the most important home run in Blue Jays history.
This was the last championship from a Canadian team in the “Big Four” sports leagues until the Toronto Raptors won the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy in 2019. If Major League Soccer is included, it took 25 years for another Canadian team to win a major trophy in North America, as Toronto FC won the MLS Cup in 2017.
The Blue Jays’ mediocrity after the back-to-back World Series is well documented. The Jays had a 55-60 record before the 1994 season was cancelled. The following season, they slipped to 56-88, their worst win percentage since the 1979 season. TThose two seasons were White’s final seasons as a Blue Jay, where he slashed .277/.324/.443 with 23 home runs in 900 plate appearances. Of course, he won the Gold Glove in both seasons, giving him five consecutive Gold Gloves. The Jays didn’t make the postseason again until 2015.
White departed from the Blue Jays following the 1995 season, signing with the Florida Marlins. In 1997, White won his third World Series with the Marlins and was an All-Star the following season playing for the Arizona Diamondbacks. The centre fielder retired after the 2001 season after 17 seasons in the big leagues.
After retiring from playing, White served as a bench coach for the Buffalo Bisons from 2017 until 2024. In 2022, he served as the first base coach for a period and is currently a special assistant to player development in the Blue Jays organization.
Overall, it was a fantastic trade for the Blue Jays.
Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for Blue Jays Nation, Oilersnation, and FlamesNation. They can be followed on Twitter @Ryley__Delaney.

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