On August 1, 2016, the Blue Jays sent the struggling pitcher to the Pittsburgh Pirates in exchange for Francisco Liriano, as well as two prospects: Reese McGuire and Harold Ramírez. The latter left the Blue Jays organization after the 2018 season and found some success with the Tampa Bay Rays in 2022 and 2023.
McGuire never really turned into anything other than a defense-first backup catcher, as he was eventually traded for Zack Collins. Collins’ time with the Jays was short, as the catcher hit four home runs in 79 at-bats in 2022. He was eventually claimed off waivers by the Pirates, ending that part of the trade boom.
Liriano pitched well to end his 2016 season, as the Jays played in the American League Championship Series. That was the last time they made the playoffs until 2020, and the last time they won a round until beating the New York Yankees in the ALDS in October. Before the 2017 trade deadline, the Jays sent Liriano to the Houston Astros in exchange for Nori Aoki and Teoscar Hernández.
The pitcher won the World Series with the Astros that season and spent two more seasons in the big league. Liriano returned to the Jays organization for the 2021 season, but did not pitch that year.
Aoki played 12 games with the Jays, slashing .281/.294/.594 with three home runs in 34 at-bats. Despite the strong performance, Aoki was designated for assignment, joined the Mets for 27 games and was then released. He finished his career in Japan and retired in 2024.
Of course, if the Jays didn’t acquire Hernández, this trade boom wouldn’t be remembered. When rosters expanded to 40 players in September, Hernández joined the Jays and got playing time, slashing .261/.305/.602 with eight home runs in 523 at-bats, a precursor of what was to come.
Hernández earned a full-time role with the Jays in 2018, slashing .239/.302/.468 with 22 home runs in 134 plate appearances for a 106 wRC+ and 0.9 fWAR. The outfielder had a rough start to his 2019 season, slashing just .189/.262/.299 with three home runs in 141 at-bats from the start of the season through May 15. He was optioned, but he ultimately broke out when he returned to the Blue Jays a month later.
From June 5 through the end of the season, Hernández slashed .248/.325/.548 with 23 home runs in 323 plate appearances for a 126 wRC+. The outfielder’s K% of 34.4 remained high, but he ultimately emerged as a power hitter.
Hernández was the Jays’ best hitter during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, slashing .289/.340/.579 with 16 home runs in just 207 plate appearances for a 142 wRC+ and 1.5 fWAR. He followed that up with a career year in 2021, slashing .296/.346/.524 with 32 home runs in 595 plate appearances for a 132 wRC+ and 4 fWAR. In the 2021 season, Hernández was named to his first All-Star Game and won the Silver Slugger Award.
In Hernández’s final season as a Blue Jay, 2022, he slashed .267/.316/.491 with 25 home runs in 535 plate appearances for a 130 wRC+ and 3 fWAR. His last two home runs came in Game 2 of the Wild Card Series, when the Blue Jays blew a huge lead to the Seattle Mariners (they got revenge three years later).
While Swanson’s time as a Blue Jay unfortunately did not go well, Hernández struggled with the Mariners. In 160 games with the American League West team, Hernández slashed .258/.305/.435 with 26 home runs in 678 at-bats. His K% jumped to 31.1%, the highest since 2019, while his wRC+ dropped to 107, the lowest since 2019.
Of course, Hernández rebounded with the Los Angeles Dodgers, winning back-to-back World Series. You can’t really blame the Blue Jays for this trade, there were a lot of unfortunate circumstances involved, but they probably should have signed him after the 2023 season.
The last remaining piece of this trading tree is Macko. The left-handed pitcher is on the Blue Jays’ 40-man roster and may make his big league debut next season. Last season with the Buffalo Bisons, the 25-year-old had a 5.06 ERA and 4.56 FIP in 64 innings pitched, but finished his season strong.
Time will tell where else this trading boom will go.
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