Dasan Hill didn't see his trade to the Blue Jays coming, and he's opening up about it now.
Hill was part of the Jeff Hoffman trade at the deadline, sent from Minnesota to Toronto along with two other minor-leaguers.
Before the call came, he described genuine attachment to the organization that drafted him.
"When I got drafted, I immediately fell in love with the Twins and the entire organization and the community around it," Hill said. "I loved everything about it. The team, the friends, the coaches, staff and fans."
That kind of connection made the idea of ever wearing another uniform feel distant, even abstract.
"I always knew that playing for a different team could be part of the journey," he said. "But somewhere along the way, I started to picture myself finishing my career with the team that gave me my start."
He didn't shy away from how personal that shift felt. "I thought I knew where it was all going to go, but God was already writing the next chapter for me."
How close the deadline actually came for him
Hill knew the Twins were likely to sell at the deadline, moving pieces for big-league help. He just didn't expect to be one of them.
"I knew the Twins would be trying to buy this year at the deadline and trade away more prospects and get more big league names, but I didn't think it would be me. That's until I got the call," he said.
The timing made it feel even more sudden. "It was 4:30 p.m. The deadline's at 5:00, so I thought I was safe, but I guess not."
That's about as tight a window as a trade deadline gets for the player actually living through it.
Hill now joins a Blue Jays farm system that's had a busy summer of turnover, with prospects moving in and out around him as Toronto reshaped its roster for a playoff push.
His fastball has already touched 99 mph in the low minors, giving him real physical upside as he adjusts to a new organization.
Whether Minnesota ends up looking back on this trade with regret, or Toronto's version of the deal simply plays out over years rather than months, is a story that's only just beginning for Hill.
Do you think Dasan Hill becomes a real piece of the Blue Jays' future rotation?
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