The Toronto Blue Jays acquired two MLB-ready pitchers before the 2026 trade deadline.

Before August 3rd’s trade deadline, the Blue Jays acquired John Klein and Josh Stephan, two pitchers who’ll help shore up their pitching depth in the minor leagues. Klein, 24, was one of the three prospects that was acquired in the Jeff Hoffman trade along with Dasan Hill and Dameury Pena. Stephan, also 24, was acquired in the Josh Smith trade that sent Adam Macko to the Texas Rangers.

Klein made his big league debut with the Twins earlier this season, with his debut coming against the Blue Jays on May 2nd. He pitched a scoreless inning of relief in the ninth inning in an 11-4 loss in Minneapolis. In three other appearances,  Klein posted a 4.15 ERA in the next three games in relief.

In his 24 games with the Twins’ Triple-A team, the St. Paul Saints, Klein posted a 5.91 ERA in 64 innings. In his three appearances for the Bisons, the right-handed pitcher currently has a 5.59 ERA. The ERA is is high for Klein and he’s yet to go more than four innings in a single start since joining the organization.

Klein’s biggest issue is his 18.8 BB%, as his WHIP currently sits a 1.966 across 9.2 innings. Kleins pitch arsenal consists of a four-seam fastball that touches 95 MPH, changeup, cutter, sweeper, and curveball. Klein had a strong 2025 season with the Twins’ Double-A team, authoring a 3.12 ERA in 24 games and striking out 95 batters.

Scouts have noted that Klein has yet to find his full potential as either a starter or reliever. Having the ability to be a swingman in the rotation is something that the Blue Jays may see in his future should he work on his command. Klein didn’t rank on MLB Pipeline’s mid-season prospect list, but he’s someone that could make an impact in the big leagues sooner rather than later.

Stephan has a 6.46 ERA over his four starts with the Bisons since the trade has recorded a 6.00 ERA in three starts with the Bisons so far. While the ERA is very high, Stephan has a respectable 20.4 K% through his 23.2 innings of work. 15 strikeouts through 18 innings of work is a good recipe to build off of. Klein and Stephan have a similar K/9, with Stephan’s sitting at 8 and Klein’s at 7.4, a solid number for two players who’ll likely be back-of-the-rotation starters.

Stephan’s first start with the Bisons was his best, going 7.0 innings and allowing three runs (two of them earned), while striking out five batters on 76 pitches. While his second start didn’t go so hot with him allowing eight runs across five innings, he bounced back in his third start on August 19th where he went seven innings again allowing one run. His  most recent start saw him go five and two-thirds innings, surrendering five earned runs and striking out six.

While we don’t know what the future holds, it is not out of the realm of possibility we see one of if not both pitchers appear for the Blue Jays in 2026. Given the injuries that are piling up, even if both players are not quite ready for the majors, they both can see a lot of eyes on them should they continue to develop and record quality starts in the minor leagues.