Cardinals Trade Jordan Hicks to Blue Jays for Sem Robberse, Adam Kloffenstein

Ahead of Tuesday's MLB trade deadline, the Toronto Blue Jays reportedly landed one of the most coveted players on the market.

The Blue Jays announced that they acquired right-handed reliever Jordan Hicks from the St. Louis Cardinals in exchange for pitching prospects Sem Robberse and Adam Kloffenstein. Hicks had been sought after by the New York Yankees, among other teams.

Bob Nightengale of USA Today reported that St. Louis also acquired three prospects from the Texas Rangers in exchange for starting pitcher Jordan Montgomery and reliever Chris Stratton, continuing Sunday's firesale.

Earlier on Sunday, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported that the Yankees were interested in Hicks and outfielder Dylan Carson and held discussions with the Cardinals about the availability of both players. In the end, the sweepstakes for Hicks were won by their rivals in the AL East.

The Blue Jays were seeking bullpen help after placing closer Jordan Romano on the 15-day injured list on Saturday due to lower back inflammation. The two-time All-Star entered Saturday tied for the lead in the American League with 28 saves this season.

In Hicks, Toronto is getting a quality reliever who can help hold down the fort until Romano returns. The 26-year-old has made 40 appearances this season and has a 3.67 ERA, a 1.51 WHIP and 59 strikeouts in 41.2 innings pitched.

Goold had previously reported that Hicks was in discussions with St. Louis on a potential contract extension, but on Thursday he noted that those talks failed to progress. The breakdown in negotiations likely helped facilitate the trade to Toronto.

The Blue Jays are third in the AL East and fell to 59-47 with Sunday's loss to the Los Angeles Angels. Toronto will try to bounce back when it opens its series against the first-place Baltimore Orioles (63-41) on Monday.