Fisher top prize for Blue Jays on Deadline day

KANSAS CITY -- As the minutes ticked down to the 4 p.m. ET Trade Deadline on Wednesday, the Blue Jays made a flurry of moves at the finish line.

Just after wrapping up a 4-1 win over the Royals at Kauffman Stadium, Aaron Sanchez and Joe Biagini were informed that they would be going to the Astros, along with Minor Leaguer Cal Stevenson (who was Toronto’s No. 25 prospect, according to MLB Pipeline), in exchange for Derek Fisher. The move followed Daniel Hudson’s in-game departure from the bullpen on his way to the Nationals, with Toronto receiving pitching prospect Kyle Johnston (Washington’s No. 27 prospect) in return.

The prized possession for the Blue Jays coming out of a busy four days -- which also saw the club acquire three other young hurlers and two players to be named later, in deals for Marcus Stroman, Eric Sogard and David Phelps, and a claim for the Dodgers right-handed Triple-A hurler Brock Stewart -- was Fisher, a 25-year-old left-handed-hitting outfielder who will not hit free agency until 2025.

Fisher, a 2014 first-round Draft pick of the Astros out of the University of Virginia, has played in 112 games in the Majors over the last three seasons. The native of Pennsylvania has slashed .201/.282/.367 with 10 home runs, eight doubles, four triples, nine stolen bases and 33 RBIs over that span. But Fisher has hit .289/.379/.520 with 50 homers, 55 doubles, three triples, 40 steals and 153 RBIs in parts of four seasons in Triple-A.

“We’ve targeted Derek Fisher for some time,” Toronto general manager Ross Atkins said. “He’s come up in a number of discussions and we tried to get him. We had an opportunity to get him in what we viewed was a creative way, in adding [in] Joe Biagini and Cal Stevenson.

“He couldn’t fit better with our young core right now, adding that amount of control, the handedness, the speed, the ability to play center, the success he’s had in the Minor Leagues. Everything about his track record suggests that he’s a great fit for us.”

Johnston has posted a 4.03 ERA over 20 starts and 105 innings in the Class A Advanced Carolina League for Potomac. According to MLB Pipeline, the 23-year-old right-hander has plus pitches in both his fastball and slider, although an inconsistent delivery, and he could be headed for a bullpen role in the long term.

The young hurler joins a group of pitching prospects acquired by the Blue Jays ahead of this year’s Trade Deadline that includes Anthony Kay, Simeon Woods-Richardson and Thomas Hatch.

Sanchez says goodbye

It was a bittersweet farewell for Sanchez on Wednesday, as the 27-year-old right-hander prepared to leave the only team he has ever known, after six years in the big leagues with the Blue Jays and almost a decade since Toronto drafted him in the first round in 2010.

“It’s been a crazy nine years [and] a true dream to be able to play for a nation; to be able to put this uniform on,” Sanchez said. “A little bittersweet, because I’m obviously thrilled for the opportunity I have to go pitch in Houston and learn from the guys that they have. I want to say thanks to the fans, thanks for all the memories, thanks for supporting us through everything. … The love that I’ve always gotten from you guys, I’ll always be appreciative of.”

With an inkling that he might be on his way out of the organization in which he grew as a person and a player, Sanchez sat down with some of the team’s young hitters just hours before his departure became official, trying to help expedite the learning process for the next wave of Blue Jays.

“I’ve been through so much in my little span of career that I’ve had here, dealing with injuries, dealing with successes, dealing with failures, being able to pitch in playoffs, in must-win games,” he said. “So [I wanted] to shed light on what it’s going to be [like] for them. The best thing for me was when I was coming up, I had those older guys do the same thing for me, so if I can [pass it down] to them, that means the world.”

Farewells from the ‘pen

Over the last two days, Toronto lost three members of its bullpen in Hudson, Biagini and Phelps, and it will look to boost the relief corps by allowing opportunities for some young arms to join its remaining core of Tim Mayza, Justin Shafer, Derek Law, Sam Gaviglio and Wilmer Font.

“The bullpen took a little bit of a hit at the Trade Deadline,” Mayza said. “I wish all the best for those guys. They’re going places where they get a chance to win a championship, so I’m happy for them. They both brought personality, especially Joe. … He’s a very smart guy and a very smart pitcher.

“Huddy brought a veteran presence and experience with him, as a guy you could talk to about certain situations and who’s been in various roles. I definitely was able to learn a lot from those guys and we’re going to continue to move forward. We’ve got a lot of good, young arms coming and it will be nice for them to get a chance.”

Hudson, a 10-year big league veteran, posted a 3.00 ERA over his 45 appearances and 48 innings this season for the Blue Jays, walking 23 and striking out 48. Primarily Toronto’s setup man, the 32-year-old right-hander also stepped in for a pair of saves as closer Ken Giles dealt with right elbow inflammation.

Hudson expected he would be departing the team as the Deadline approached, but he shared Sanchez’s sentiment of mixed feelings when the move was made.

“There was a good chance of this happening today,” Hudson said. “But it’s definitely a little bittersweet. I definitely don’t want to leave these guys. You become emotionally invested in a lot of these guys. … It’s a tough day, but it’s also exciting at the same time to go meet the Nationals in Arizona and get on a potential playoff team.”

After making his way through the Minors with the Giants, Biagini has spent four years in the big leagues with Toronto, posting a 4.74 ERA over 309 1/3 innings with 262 strikeouts. The 29-year-old righty was a Rule 5 Draft dream come true for the Blue Jays, with whom he couldn’t have enjoyed his time more.

“This has been nothing but a blessing for me in my life, the opportunity to grow, to learn, to fail, to succeed, to have different roles, to try to figure that out, and people putting up with my weird jokes,” Biagini said. “There are a lot of really good people in this organization I really value my relationships with, so that’s tough because I’m really happy here.

“But obviously the other side of that … is that it’s a great opportunity for me personally. I really hope I can be a contributor to [the Astros]. You look at their roster and those guys are really good. It’s a fun feeling to think that a team like that with such good players would want someone like me to help contribute.”

On their way out

Looking forward to their own futures with new teams, the departing players were also excited about what the future holds for the Blue Jays and how quickly the tide could turn in Toronto.

“It’s exciting,” Hudson said. “It’s been fun to come to the ballpark and watch these young kids play every day. They’ve got some exciting young arms, and obviously the bats on the infield are exciting as well. It’s going to be a scary lineup to have to come in and face, if I have to do that in the future. Definitely things are looking up for the Blue Jays, and [the future] is going to be here quick.”

“The future is tremendously bright with the guys who are [in Toronto],” Sanchez said. “They can hit, they can field, they can do a lot of things. I don’t think they’re far off. They can be back in the same position that we were in ’15 and ’16. It takes time, and you’ve got to give these guys a chance to get their feet wet here and have some successes, some failures, and understand how to deal with that, but the pedigree’s here. They’re all here to win, and at every position you have potential superstars.”