The Blue Jays are taking on two-time All-Star Whit Merrifield from the Royals

The Kansas City Royals have traded two-time All-Star second baseman/outfielder Whit Merrifield to the Toronto Blue Jays.

The Toronto Blue Jays acquired two-time All-Star Whit Merrifield and solidified their bullpen by adding right-handers Anthony Bass and Zach Pop before Major League Baseball’s close on Tuesday.

The Jays acquired Merrifield just before the 6 p.m. ET deadline from Kansas City for pitcher Max Castillo and prospect Samad Taylor.

Merrifield was one of 10 royals who were unable to accompany the team to a four-game series in Toronto last month because he was not vaccinated against COVID-19.

The 33-year-old, who can play second base and outfield, is hitting .240 with six homers and 42 batted runs this season.

He was an All-Star last season when he hit .277 with 10 homers and 74 RBIs.

Blue Jays GM Ross Atkins was delighted with the timely deal.

“He (Merrifield) is such a good player. He’s very accomplished with incredible experiences, the versatility, the touch ability, the speed, playing in multiple positions, an incredible baserunner, feels very comfortable with him in so many different positions and that versatility helps us down the track… we are very well secured now,” Atkins told a Zoom call minutes before the Jays opened their nine-game road trip in Florida.

The GM didn’t bite when asked about his plans to get vaccinated or if he’d be playing at Rogers Center soon.

“He was acquired on the cut-off date, so this is a very recent acquisition and so I’m not going to comment further on that process for him and let him work through it with his family. I basically said hello to him and that was it,” Atkins added.

Editor’s note: The COVID-19 situation in sport and around the world is constantly evolving. Readers in Canada can check the country’s public health website for the latest information.

Previously, the Jays acquired bass and pop from the Miami Marlins for shortstop prospect Jordan Groshans.

The Jays also acquired a player who would later be named in the deal.

Bass, 34, has a 2-3 record with a 1.41 earned running average over 44 2/3 innings with the Marlins this season, with 45 strikeouts and 10 walks.

He spent the 2020 season with Toronto, going 2-3 in 26 games with a 3.51 ERA.

Bass will get a chance to take part in significant games in front of Blue Jays fans, something he didn’t get the chance to do in his first stint with the club. The Blue Jays played home games at Sahlen Field, home of the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons, during the shortened 2020 season due to COVID-19 restrictions on the Canada-US border.

“You’re going to a team that has a chance to go into the postseason, which is what we always want as players,” Bass told reporters in Miami before the Marlins hosted the Cincinnati Reds on Tuesday.

“Our ultimate goal is to win the World Series. So that part is exciting to be going to Toronto for this opportunity.”

The 25-year-old pop from Brampton, Ontario has a 2-0 record this season with a 3.60 earned run average in 18 appearances with the Marlins, his second in the majors.

He was drafted by the Blue Jays in the 23rd round of the 2014 MLB draft but chose not to sign and instead played collegiate at the University of Kentucky.

Pop, who says he grew up a Blue Jays fan, called the news of the trade “bittersweet” but said he’s looking forward to playing close to home.

“It’s very special to be able to go home, see my family and play for the Blue Jays,” he said in Miami.

“I’ve got a lot of friends, a lot of people cheering for them right now, and to be a part of what they’re doing over there is pretty amazing.”

The 22-year-old Groshans was selected 12th overall by the Blue Jays in the 2018 MLB draft.

In 67 games with the Bisons this season, he hit .250 with a home run and 24 runs hit.

The Blue Jays also acquired right-hander Mitch White and infielder Alex De Jesus from the Los Angeles Dodgers in exchange for left-hander Moises Brito and right-hander Nick Frasso, and traded right-hander Jeremy Beasley to the Pittsburgh Pirates for cash.

On other moves, left-handed pitcher Anthony Banda was designated for the assignment, and left-handed Andrew Vasquez was pulled from outright waivers by Philadelphia.