Blue Jays acquire right-hander Bastardo from Red Sox in Rule 5 Draft

The Toronto Blue Jays acquire Angel Bastardo from the Boston Red Sox in the Rule 5 Draft.

The Toronto Blue Jays selected right-handed pitcher Angel Bastardo from the Boston Red Sox with the seventh pick in the 2024 Rule 5 Draft, the Major League Baseball club announced Wednesday.

Bastardo, 22, had a 5.36 earned-run average over 10 starts for Double-A Portland this past season before sustaining a season-ending elbow injury in June.

The six-foot-one, 175-pound right-hander was signed by Boston as an international free agent in 2018.

Across five seasons in the Red Sox organization, the Moron, Venezuela native has appeared in 78 games (74 starts), posting a 4.76 ERA with 357 strikeouts over 327.1 innings.

The Rule 5 draft is conducted every year at baseball's winter meetings and is designed to prevent teams from stockpiling young players on their minor-league affiliates.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 11, 2024.