The Nate Pearson Era in Toronto is over.

Once a highly touted prospect in the organization, the Blue Jays have traded him to the Chicago Cubs, ESPN&#8217;s Jesse Rogers and Jeff Passan reported Saturday.
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
The Toronto Blue Jays are trading reliever Nate Pearson to the Cubs, sources tell <a href="https://twitter.com/JeffPassan?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JeffPassan</a> and me.
&mdash; Jesse Rogers (@JesseRogersESPN) <a href="https://twitter.com/JesseRogersESPN/status/1817241976166650087?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 27, 2024</a></blockquote>
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According to <a href="https://x.com/ShiDavidi/status/1817251232656036270">Sportsnet&#8217;s</a> Shi Davidi and Arden Zwelling, the Jays get back Double-A infielder Josh Rivera, the Cubs&#8217; 23rd-ranked prospect, and outfielder Yohendrick Pinango, their 29th-ranked prospect.
Pearson, 27, was drafted by the Blue Jays in the first round of the 2017 draft, but has never lived up to expectations. While he&#8217;s found himself in the teams&#8217; bullpen over the last two years, he&#8217;s had a fair share of struggles, posting a 5.23 ERA across 82.2 innings, struggling to find his game, allowing 1.403 walks and hits per inning.
He finishes his tenure with the Jays having started just five games, four in 2020 and one in 2021, posting a 7.23 ERA in those games. Despite his lack of success at the big league level, Pearson found himself dominant in their minor league ranks.
In 82 innings of AAA ball, he posted a 3.29 ERA, starting nine games amongst 46 total appearances, while outright looking dominant in the AA ranks back in 2019, posting a 2.59 ERA across 16 starts and 62.2 innings.
Weeks ago, Pearson said he would be open to getting back into the <a href="https://bluejaysnation.com/news/blue-jays-nate-pearson-is-open-to-starting-again-would-love-to-get-another-shot-at-it">starting rotation for the team</a>.
<blockquote>“I&#8217;ve definitely considered it, I&#8217;ve always wanted to be a starter,” Pearson told <a href="https://www.sportsnet.ca/mlb/article/could-blue-jays-nate-pearson-return-to-starting-duty-next-season/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sportsnet&#8217;s Shi Davidi</a> prior to Thursday&#8217;s series finale in San Francisco. “Obviously the past couple of years before this haven&#8217;t really gone my way in terms of health, the guys we&#8217;ve signed, the roster spots and everything. So right now I&#8217;m coming out of the &#8216;pen, trying to help our team win, whether it&#8217;s one inning, two innings.
&#8220;Looking into next year, if that&#8217;s an option, then I definitely want to explore it. That&#8217;s something I&#8217;ll have to sit down and talk with them about, see what the need is. But I&#8217;m definitely open to it, definitely would love to get another shot at it.”</blockquote>
Rivera, 23, was drafted by the San Diego Padres in the 22nd round of the 2019 draft, but re-entered in 2023, getting selected by the Cubs in the third round. The right-handed shortstop/second-baseman has struggled in AA this season, slashing .169/.277/.260.
Pinango, 22, is a left-handed outfielder, who was signed by the Cubs in 2018. He&#8217;s split time across High-A and Double-A ball this year, smashing for a 1.061 OPS in A+, but is hitting just .661 in AA.
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Zach Laing is the Nation Network’s news director and senior columnist. He can be followed on Twitter at <a href="http://www.twitter.com/zjlaing">@zjlaing</a>, or reached by email at zach@thenationnetwork.com.
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The Nate Pearson Era in Toronto is over.



Once a highly touted prospect in the organization, the Blue Jays have traded him to the Chicago Cubs, ESPN's Jesse Rogers and Jeff Passan reported Saturday.
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https://twitter.com/JesseRogersESPN/status/1817241976166650087

According to <a href="https://x.com/ShiDavidi/status/1817251232656036270">Sportsnet's</a> Shi Davidi and Arden Zwelling, the Jays get back Double-A infielder Josh Rivera, the Cubs' 23rd-ranked prospect, and outfielder Yohendrick Pinango, their 29th-ranked prospect.

Pearson, 27, was drafted by the Blue Jays in the first round of the 2017 draft, but has never lived up to expectations. While he's found himself in the teams' bullpen over the last two years, he's had a fair share of struggles, posting a 5.23 ERA across 82.2 innings, struggling to find his game, allowing 1.403 walks and hits per inning.

He finishes his tenure with the Jays having started just five games, four in 2020 and one in 2021, posting a 7.23 ERA in those games. Despite his lack of success at the big league level, Pearson found himself dominant in their minor league ranks.

In 82 innings of AAA ball, he posted a 3.29 ERA, starting nine games amongst 46 total appearances, while outright looking dominant in the AA ranks back in 2019, posting a 2.59 ERA across 16 starts and 62.2 innings.

Weeks ago, Pearson said he would be open to getting back into the <a href="https://bluejaysnation.com/news/blue-jays-nate-pearson-is-open-to-starting-again-would-love-to-get-another-shot-at-it">starting rotation for the team</a>.
<blockquote>“I've definitely considered it, I've always wanted to be a starter,” Pearson told <a href="https://www.sportsnet.ca/mlb/article/could-blue-jays-nate-pearson-return-to-starting-duty-next-season/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sportsnet's Shi Davidi</a> prior to Thursday's series finale in San Francisco. “Obviously the past couple of years before this haven't really gone my way in terms of health, the guys we've signed, the roster spots and everything. So right now I'm coming out of the 'pen, trying to help our team win, whether it's one inning, two innings.

"Looking into next year, if that's an option, then I definitely want to explore it. That's something I'll have to sit down and talk with them about, see what the need is. But I'm definitely open to it, definitely would love to get another shot at it.”</blockquote>
Rivera, 23, was drafted by the San Diego Padres in the 22nd round of the 2019 draft, but re-entered in 2023, getting selected by the Cubs in the third round. The right-handed shortstop/second-baseman has struggled in AA this season, slashing .169/.277/.260.

Pinango, 22, is a left-handed outfielder, who was signed by the Cubs in 2018. He's split time across High-A and Double-A ball this year, smashing for a 1.061 OPS in A+, but is hitting just .661 in AA.

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Zach Laing is the Nation Network’s news director and senior columnist. He can be followed on Twitter at <a href="http://www.twitter.com/zjlaing">@zjlaing</a>, or reached by email at zach@thenationnetwork.com.

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