Trevor Richards (baseball)
Trevor Michael Richards is an American professional baseball pitcher in the Philadelphia Phillies organization. He has previously played in Major League Baseball for the Miami Marlins, Tampa Bay Rays, Milwaukee Brewers, Toronto Blue Jays, Minnesota Twins, Kansas City Royals, and Arizona Diamondbacks. He was signed by the Marlins in 2016 and made his MLB debut with them in 2018.
Career
Amateur career
Richards attended Mater Dei High School in Breese, Illinois. In 2011, his senior year, he went 9–1 with a 1.07 ERA. After high school, he enrolled and played college baseball at Drury University. As a senior in 2015, he had a 5–3 win-loss record with a 3.61 ERA in 11 starts.Gateway Grizzlies
He was not drafted by an MLB team in the 2015 MLB draft, and signed with the Gateway Grizzlies of the independent Frontier League. In 2015, Richards posted a 3.36 ERA in 14 starts for the Grizzlies. During eight starts in 2016, he posted a 3.21 ERA and was among the league leaders in strikeouts.Miami Marlins
After one and-a-half seasons with the Grizzlies, he was signed by the Miami Marlins in July 2016. He spent 2016 with the Batavia Muckdogs and the Greensboro Grasshoppers, both in Single-A, posting a combined record and 2.48 ERA in nine starts. In 2017, he was named the Marlins Minor League Pitcher of the Year after going with a 2.53 ERA and 158 strikeouts over 146.0 innings pitched in 27 games between the Advanced-A Jupiter Hammerheads and the Double-A Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp.On April 2, 2018, Richards was called up by the Miami Marlins to make his first MLB start. He pitched innings, giving up eight hits and five runs while striking out five and walking one; he took the loss, as the Marlins were defeated by the Boston Red Sox, 7–3. On April 25, facing Clayton Kershaw and the Los Angeles Dodgers, Richards pitched innings, giving up one hit and striking out 10. Richards finished the 2018 season with a 4–9 record in 25 starts. He struck out 130 batters in innings.
For the 2019 season, Richards began the season in the Marlins rotation. He was moved to the bullpen on July 26 after going 3–12 in 20 starts.
Tampa Bay Rays
On July 31, 2019, Richards was traded to the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for Jesús Sánchez and Ryne Stanek. He made his first start as a Ray on August 18, 2019, against the Detroit Tigers, allowing two runs across three and a half innings in a 5–4 Tampa Bay victory. In 2020 for the Rays, Richards pitched to a bloated 5.91 ERA and 1.72 WHIP in 9 appearances, including four starts. In 2021, Richards had 16 strikeouts in 12 innings for the Rays.Milwaukee Brewers
On May 21, 2021, the Rays traded Richards and Willy Adames to the Milwaukee Brewers in exchange for Drew Rasmussen and J. P. Feyereisen. In 15 appearances and innings before being traded, Richards posted a 3–0 record on a 3.20 ERA.Toronto Blue Jays
On July 6, 2021, the Brewers traded Richards to the Toronto Blue Jays along with Bowden Francis in exchange for Rowdy Tellez. In 32 games out of the bullpen, he compiled a 4–2 record and 3.31 ERA with 37 strikeouts across innings pitched. Richards made 62 appearances for the Blue Jays in 2022, accumulating a 3–2 record and 5.34 ERA with 82 strikeouts across 64 innings.On January 13, 2023, Richards signed a one-year, $1.5 million contract with the Blue Jays, avoiding salary arbitration. He appeared in 56 contests for Toronto in 2023, recording a 4.95 ERA with 105 strikeouts over innings of work. Richards pitched in 45 games for the Blue Jays in 2024, posting a 2–1 record and 4.64 ERA with 49 strikeouts in innings pitched.