Betts: Harry happy to be a Blue Jay after trade from Twins

Toronto Blue Jays infield prospect Jay Harry was acquired from the Minnesota Twins last July in exchange for reliever Trevor Richards. Harry got to play against his former Twins’ teammates in the Spring Breakout Game on Saturday at TD Ballpark in Dunedin, Fla. Photo: Toronto Blue Jays

March 16, 2025

By Matt Betts

Canadian Baseball Network

Jay Harry didn’t see it coming.

He was 82 games into the 2024 minor league season with the Cedar Rapids Kernels when he received a phone call that changed the trajectory of his career.

The Toronto Blue Jays were in the midst of a modest sell off and struck a deal with the Minnesota Twins to send right-hander Trevor Richards to the land of 10,000 lakes.

Their target in return? Harry.

Professional baseball is a business but it’s also played by people and for the former Penn State Nittany Lion, the swap was bittersweet.

“There were a lot of emotions,” Harry said.

“I didn’t see it coming but it all went well. I’m really glad where I am right now. I thank the Twins for everything but I’m glad to be a Blue Jay.”

The Twins scooped up Harry in the sixth round of the 2023 draft after he hit .299 with a .839 OPS at Penn State.

Following the deadline deal, he hit .210 with four home runs and 14 RBIs in 27 games for the High-A Vancouver Canadians.

Harry called it a “seamless transition.”

While not currently ranked among MLB Pipeline’s Top 30 Blue Jays prospects, he impressed enough to earn a spot on Toronto’s Spring Breakout roster for their game against his former organization.

“It means a lot,” he said.

“I don’t worry too much about rankings personally. I'm glad I could go out there and compete with the best of the best.”

Harry stopped short of saying there was any added motivation facing his former team.

“It felt great, it was cool to get a win and it was great being a part of it with my friends,” he said.

“It was cool to see everyone. I still have a lot of friends over there, so it was nice to catch up with a couple of them before the game. It was good to see those guys, too.”

With an important season about to begin, the 22-year-old is taking everything in stride, just as he did last July.

“I just try to take it one day at a time,” he said.

“Play as hard as I can and hope that works out.”