Report: Blue Jays sign catcher Dioner Navarro

Chicago Cubs catcher

hits a home run in the 8th inning of their game against the Atlanta Braves at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-USA TODAY Sports

According to Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports, the Toronto Blue Jays have come to an agreement with catcher Dioner Navarro on a two-year deal, which according to Rosenthal is pending a physical.

Where does this leaves current Jays catcher J.P. Arencibia you may ask. Rosenthal has an answer for that one too.

It sounds like Josh Thole will be kept around to catch knuckleballer R.A. Dickey at least every fifth day while Navarro will be given the opportunity to take over the everyday role. I’m not sure how much interest there would be in Arencibia across baseball but if the Blue Jays can get anything in return for him it makes more sense than non-tendering him and allowing him to walk for nothing.

Personally I’m not that high on Navarro and depending on terms may not be as much of an upgrade as some people may think behind the plate. He had a near career year in a back-up role this year with the Chicago Cubs and is an offensive-minded catcher but I’m concerned if his production will hold up over a larger sample size.

However the Blue Jays couldn’t go into 2014 hoping to compete with Arencibia behind the plate and it’s very doubtful Navarro could ever be as bad as JPA was in 2013. We’ll keep you posted with further analysis as more details including contract terms are confirmed.

Update:

John Heyman at CBS Sports has tweeted that the deal is worth $8 million over two years.