Grandal to Chisox is for the best

The Blue Jays were never really expected to have a major shakeup behind the plate this off-season, but whatever small chance existed likely came to an end Thursday afternoon.

Yasmani Grandal, the top free-agent catcher available, signed a four-year deal with the White Sox worth $73 million U.S. Toronto was loosely connected to Grandal after a meetand-greet at last week’s general managers meetings in Arizona, which was first reported by ESPN’s Marly Rivera.

By all accounts, the sitdown wasn’t anything more than a fact-finding mission. Toronto was never going to approach the terms Grandal received from Chicago, but some background work was done in the event the two-time all star became undervalued. It happened last year when Grandal had to settle for a one-year deal in Milwaukee. It didn’t happen again.

The signing of Grandal inevitably would have pushed out the young catching duo of Danny Jansen and Reese McGuire, presumably with the goal of moving them for starting pitching. At best, that was a long shot to begin with, and it’s even more unlikely now that one of the top free agents is off the board.

This isn’t a situation where Toronto has been actively looking to move their young catchers. Instead, the Jays know they are working from a position of strength and are acting like almost anybody would in that situation. Catcher is a premium position and outside of pitching, it’s the one thing almost every team always seems to need. It’s natural to explore the market value, even if there’s no strong desire to make a move.

The Jays lack arms on the mound, but they’re doing just fine with receivers. Jansen and McGuire are under club control for at least the next five years. Competent backup Luke Maile has another option remaining. There’s also more upside on the way with two catchers — Gabriel Moreno and Alejandro Kirk — on the club’s list of top 15 prospects by MLB Pipeline.

So, while some of the external speculation centred on moving one of the young catchers, the Jays seem more focused on the players they expect Jansen and McGuire to become. The growth behind the plate is going to come from within.

“Dan Jansen and Reese McGuire are going to be better players than they were a year ago,” Atkins told the Star this week. “Both are still developing and getting better every year. There’s a lot of upside to our roster and being patient, we feel, will really pay off.”

Jansen’s first full season was more successful than a lot of people give him credit for. Yes, he struggled with the bat, but he also showed incredible growth behind the plate. In McGuire, the Jays appear to have a perfect platoon partner for Jansen. His .882 OPS across 44 games isn’t sustainable, but the fact he bats from the left side is a bonus, and he has a plus arm with well-aboveaverage ability to block balls in the dirt. Letting these two battle it out for playing time has a chance to bring out the best in everyone.

There are still scenarios in which the Jays might look to move a catcher, but it won’t be of the magnitude suggested when reports of Grandal’s meeting first broke.