Toronto Blue Jays come out unsuccessful in completed trade with the Pittsburgh Pirates

When Toronto shipped Drew Hutchison to Pittsburgh in 2016, it felt like a clean break from a stalled starter. Hutchinson had been a Blue Jays draftee, but the results never matched the hope.

The surprise was the return, Francisco Liriano plus two young pieces, and Liriano actually stabilized things right away. He wasn't a long-term fix, but he gave the club real innings when the race was tight.

Then came the sneaky part of the tree, the Blue Jays flipped Liriano in 2017 and landed Teoscar Hernández. That one move quietly turned a salary dump vibe into a real asset play.

Hernández became more than an asset, he became thunder in the middle of the order. In 2021, he hit .296 with 32 homers and 116 RBI, the kind of season that changes your lineup math.

As a fan, it still stings that Toronto eventually cashed him out right before the deep October runs got real. The front office won the trade tree, but it didn't fully spend the winnings at the perfect time.

Hernández is also a reminder that development is not always linear, it's patience mixed with opportunity.

He's now signed for three years and $66 million with the Dodgers, and that contract tells you what the league thinks of his bat.

The Blue Jays' second flip, moving Hernández for Erik Swanson and Adam Macko, looked smart on paper for bullpen control and a lefty arm.

Swanson's story turned hard, he was released in June 2025 and later announced his retirement while Macko is still in the farm system.

So what's left from the original Hutchison chip today, basically Macko, still trying to climb back into the picture heading into 2026.

That's the real lesson, trade trees are only satisfying if the last branch actually reaches the majors.

It is impossible to win every trade for Ross Atkins but with after so many players moving around, clearly they did not come out on top with this one.