Blue Jays acquire Derek Fisher for Sanchez, Biagini

Around the MLB, as soon as 4:00 pm ET hit, there was a flurry of trades that were finalized with mere seconds left until the deadline — in one of the many, the Blue Jays acquired outfielder Derek Fisher from the Houston Astros fo Aaron Sanchez, Joe Biagini, and Cal Stevenson.

Sanchez, arguably the biggest piece going to Houston, has had his fair share of big moments in Toronto, but since the memorable playoff games he has been stuck in a gutter that he just can’t get out of. With his free agency eligibility looming in 2021, the Jays decided to move on from the pitcher and try to get some value out of him instead of potentially non-tendering the pitcher this winter.

The 27-year-old starter leads the entire MLB in walks, so getting anything back for him should be considered somewhat a blessing. If anyone can fix him and return him to the ERA-title winning 2016 Sanchez, it’s the Astros — perhaps he’s more valuable to Houston than he would ever become in Toronto.

He did showcase some of his talent in recent weeks, striking out the first six batters of game, but overall he was never really going to fulfill what everyone hoped he would become in Toronto.

Joe Biagini this season, with his 3.86 ERA and his career-high 9.0 K/9, has made a tremendous comeback and held-up some value in this trade. There were early rumours that the Twins or Braves would be in on the reliever, but he’s heading to Houston in this package.

Arguably the strangest part of this deal is giving up what seemed like a hot prospect in Cal Stevenson. The 22-year-old outfielder has quickly risen up the ranks and was last ranked as the teams no. 25 prospect. The 2018 10th-round pick in his time with High-A Dunedin has slashed .298/.388/.393 and has a 137 wRC+ on the season.

Coming back to Toronto is 25-year-old outfielder Derek Fisher. Once a top-100 prospect in 2017, Fisher has been in and out of the Astros’ lineup since 2017, spending the other time with their Triple-A affiliate.

In Triple-A this year, Fisher has been hitting for a .286 average with a .924 OPS, but in the majors it’s another story. Through three different seasons and a total of 312 plate appearances, Fisher has a .649 OPS.

Like most deadline deals, we’ll see how this all ends up. Trading away Sanchez and Biagini hurts right now, but if they don’t end up becoming what the Astros want them to become and Fisher finishes off his season well after getting a consistent role on the Blue Jays, then it might not be so bad.