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Blue Jays: Josh Smith is the latest product of the Drew Hutchison trade tree
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Photo credit: © Jamie LeBlanc-Imagn Images
Cynthia Ryley Delaney
Sep 27, 2026, 06:00 EDTUpdated: Sep 26, 2026, 22:02 EDT
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One of the best trade trees in Toronto Blue Jays franchise history kept giving this past trade deadline.
A sneaky addition before the 2026 trade deadline came in the form of Josh Smith, a super-utility player that the Jays acquired from the Texas Rangers. Of course, they also acquired starting pitching depth in Josh Stephan, giving up Adam Macko in return. By trading Macko, Ross Atkins’ best trade tree has gotten even bigger.
If you need a refresher, before the 2016 trade deadline, the Blue Jays sent Drew Hutchison to the Pittsburgh Pirates for Francisco Liriano, Reese McGuire, and Harold Ramírez. At the time, McGuire and Ramírez ranked as top 30 prospects in the Pirates organization, though neither player has carved out an everyday role at the big league level. 
Additionally, the McGuire branch of the tree led nowhere, as he was traded for Zack Collins, who was eventually DFA’d and waived. The Liriano branch did go somewhere though, as the Jays sent him to the Houston Astros before the 2017 trade deadline, acquiring Nori Aoki and Teoscar Hernández.
You obviously know how good Hernández was for the Blue Jays, as his bat offered significant pop, even if at times he was a defensive liability. Entering the final season of arbitration, the Blue Jays sent the outfielder to the Seattle Mariners for Erik Swanson and Macko. Like Aoki, Ramírez, and McGuire, the Swanson branch of the trade tree went nowhere, as he had a solid 2023, struggled in 2024, and retired during the 2025 season.
But by trading Macko, one of the best trade trees in team history has continued. Since trading Hutchison, who had a 4.97 ERA and 6.54 FIP at the time of the trade, the Blue Jays have received 15 fWAR from the return. A large chunk of that of course belongs to Hernández, but Swanson, McGuire, and Liriano have also provided value for the team.
There’s a chance that it gets even better. Before the trade, Smith was slashing just .213/.299/.272 with one home run in 154 plate appearances, good for a 66 wRC+. Serving as a right-handed pitching masher since joining the Blue Jays, Smith has hit five home runs in 88 plate appearances and has already accumulated 0.4 fWAR. 
While he’s batting below the Mendoza Line since joining the Jays, Smith’s defensive versatility and power against righties has earned him a look on the Blue Jays next season. It also helps that Smith has found success at the big league level in the past, hitting 13 home runs in 592 plate appearances in 2024 with the Rangers.
And who knows how Stephan will develop. The right-handed pitcher has the ceiling of a back-end-of-the-rotation starter thanks to excellent command. His 2026 didn’t go great in Triple-A, but the 24-year-old still has some potential to impact the 2027 Blue Jays next season.
Smith is the latest product of a trade tree that keeps giving, even a decade later.
Cynthia Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for Blue Jays Nation, DFOEdmonton, and DFOCalgary. She can be followed on Twitter @CynthiaRDelaney.
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