Blue Jays Trade Juan Graterol to Angels

The Blue Jays have traded catching prospect Juan Graterol to the L.A. Angels for a player to be named later, or cash considerations this evening, according to Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.

After being selected off waivers by the Blue Jays on January 23, 2017, the Jays traded catcher Juan Graterol back to the Angels. This is a very interesting trade because, beyond Russell Martin and Jarrod Saltalamacchia, the Jays don’t have much catching depth. In the minors, all they have for depth is Mike Ohlman, the starter on the Buffalo Bisons.

In the deep minors, they also have Reese McGuire and Max Pentecost, who were the number 11 and 12 ranked prospects on Toronto according to MLB.com. But both of those players don’t seem close to reaching the majors anytime soon.

Graterol has actually played in the majors, last year with the Angels. While he only had 15 plate appearances in nine games, that still counts as experience and is more than what the minor league options have combined.

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Now, if one of Martin or Saltalamacchia gets injured (knock on wood), there’s there’s little experience to be called up. And the Jays aren’t getting a big package in return. Cash or a player to be named later is the absolute lowest amount you can give up in a trade. While Graterol isn’t a super amazing player, he added much-needed depth for the Jays. Ben Nicholson-Smith broke the news on twitter.

Last week Graterol was designated for assignment. He had been with the Buffalo Bisons this season.

With Graterol gone, the next best option for catching depth is Luke Maile, of the Bisons. He played 46 games for Tampa Bay last year, hitting three home runs with 15 RBIs. As the only guy with real experience in the majors, Maile is the only real option for the Jays.

Next: Blue Jays: Could Doug Fister be an option?

Because the player to be named later hasn’t been announced, it could be anyone…

Anyone…