Aaron Sanchez and Joe Biagini are headed to the Houston Astros after a last-minute deadline deal by the Blue Jays.

The Wednesday moves came hours after reliever Daniel Hudson was dealt to the Washington Nationals, the 32-year-old veteran forced to make his way down foul territory at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City in the third inning of the Toronto’s 4-1 win to sweep the Royals.

Toronto also sent a top-30 prospect, outfielder Cal Stevenson, to the Astros to get Triple-A outfielder Derek Fisher and brought in minor-league starter Kyle Johnston from the Nationals. Between deals, the Jays claimed right-hander Brock Stewart from the Los Angeles Dodgers. He was optioned to the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons.

The American League West-leading Astros also added veteran right-hander Zack Greinke from the Arizona Diamondbacks in their push to claim a second World Series ring in three years.

First baseman Justin Smoak (the only player remaining on the active roster from the Jays’ playoff runs in 2015 and 2016), shortstop Freddy Galvis and Ken Giles (who is dealing with right elbow inflammation but not on the injured list) all reportedly attracted interest but stayed put.

Sanchez, Biagini and Hudson followed Marcus Stroman (Mets), Eric Sogard (Rays) and David Phelps (Cubs) out the door. The Jays had previously acquired lefty starter Anthony Kay, who will make his debut with the Bisons on Wednesday night, plus right-handers Simeon Woods Richardson, Thomas Hatch and Johnston — as well as two players to be named later from the Sogard trade with the Rays, expected to be announced next month.

Sanchez, drafted by the Jays in the first round in 2010, and Biagini broke into the big leagues in 2014 and 2016, respectively, and both excelled in the 2016 season. Sanchez posted an AL-leading 3.00 ERA, while Biagini broke out as a go-to long reliever. Both have struggled since, as Sanchez battled finger issues and Biagini went back and forth between the bullpen and the rotation in a failed attempt to stretch him into a starter.

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Biagini returned to his role as a full-time reliever this season, his 3.86 ERA in 49 innings by far his best numbers in the past three seasons. Sanchez, who has had an up and down year, drew more interest in recent days after he seemed to find his form, notching 10 strikeouts in his latest start.

“I was a 17-year-old kid who had aspirations of pitching in the big leagues … it’s been a crazy nine years for sure, and the last four a true dream to be able to play for a nation, to be able to put this uniform on,” Sanchez said after he found out about the trade post-game. “Little bittersweet. Obviously I’m thrilled to go pitch in Houston and learn from the guys that they have. I just want to say thanks to the fans, thanks for all the memories, thanks for supporting us through everything. You made 2015 and 2016 an unbelievable two years for me. I don’t know how else to say it but I appreciate you guys for sticking behind me.

“I know these last few years have kind of been not so high compared to where they were when I first got here and the love that I’ve always got from you guys, I’ll always be appreciate.”

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Sanchez, who reportedly drew interest from the New York Yankees as a potential reliever, said he hadn’t talked to anyone in the Astros organization about his role but “my plan is to be a starter.”

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The 27-year-old is under contract control until the end of next season, leading many to believe the Jays would hold on to him and hope his value would increase. General manager Ross Atkins said the club considered giving Sanchez more time to bounce back, but the organization had been targeting Fisher — who projects as a future fourth outfielder or impact bat, but comes with five years of control — for a while and was excited about the 25-year-old’s future.

“He couldn’t fit better with our young corps right now, adding that amount of control, the handedness, the speed, the ability to play centre, the success he had in the minor leagues. Everything about his track record suggests that he is a great fit for us,” Atkins said.

Fisher, a former top-100 prospect, made his big-league debut in June 2017 and has hit .201 in three trips to the big leagues. His numbers in Triple-A are far more impressive, posting a .286/.401/.522 slash line in 60 games this season.

Biagini, 29, learned about the trade via text message before he got the official word. He called his opportunity with the Jays “nothing but a God blessing” and said he was really happy in Toronto, but is also excited about the opportunity and hopes he can be a contributor for the “really good” Astros.

“It’s a fun feeling to think that a team like that, with such good players, would want someone like me to help contribute,” he said.

Ever the jokester, the quirky reliever couldn’t help but get in a few more quips before his departure.

“I was wondering if I was going to get traded, if it would end up being a team in the (United States),” he said. “It turned out to be. That’s kind of crazy. So that was cool ... It’s fun. I’m excited to go to space. Maybe the gravity will help the spin on my breaking ball.”

The 32-year-old Hudson, meanwhile, drew interest from many clubs after the late-inning reliever and sometimes closer posted a 3.00 ERA in 48 innings in his first season with Toronto. He wasn’t surprised by the deal, but said he would be “forever grateful” to the Jays, who picked him up late in spring training after he was cut by the Los Angeles Angels late in camp.

“It’s never really a goal to put yourself in a position to get traded. You just try to go out there and do your job every night,” Hudson said. “It’s something that I kind of take pride in, to make myself available every night. I just tried to go out and get three outs whenever (manager Charlie Montoyo) needed me to, whether that was in the fourth, fifth, eighth or ninth and everywhere in between, first one time. It was just kind of one of those things where, luckily, I was put in a good position to do some good things and have a chance to win a little bit.”

Johnston, 23, has spent this season with the Class-A Advanced Potomac Nationals, posting a 4.03 ERA in 20 starts. The former sixth-round pick is listed as the Nationals’ No. 27 prospect by MLB Pipeline and No. 21 on Baseball America’s mid-season list. Hudson should be a welcome addition to the Nationals given their bullpen’s combined 5.99 ERA — the worst in baseball heading into Wednesday.

Hudson left with a positive message about Toronto’s young core.

“It’s exciting,” Hudson said. “It’s been fun to come to the ballpark and watch these young kids play every day. We have some exciting young arms, obviously the bats in the infield are exciting as well, and it’s going to be a scary lineup to have to come in and face if I have to do that in the future. Things are looking up for the Blue Jays.”

Sanchez agreed: “The future is tremendously bright.”

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