Blue Jays sign Caleb Joseph for Triple-A catching depth

The Blue Jays were in need of a veteran catcher for depth behind Danny Jansen and Reese McGuire, and they signed Caleb Joseph on Sunday to fill the role.

The Blue Jays are starting to take care of some of the more minor needs to reinforce their big league club, and they were busy handing out MiLB contracts over the weekend.

After signing Ruben Tejada on Friday and Joe Panik on Saturday, the Blue Jays agreed to a minor league deal with Caleb Joseph, a veteran catcher they know well from his days spent in Baltimore. Joseph spent last season with the Arizona Diamondbacks, playing in just 20 games for their big league club.

Prior to last season, Joseph had been a decent prospect in the Orioles’ system, but unfortunately things never panned out the way that he or Baltimore had hoped. He did spend parts of five seasons playing in the AL East, and he’s a career .223/.270/.350 hitter.

Why did the Blue Jays want to sign someone like Joseph? Well, now that Luke Maile has joined the Pittsburgh Pirates, Ross Atkins wisely feels it’s important to have some sort of veteran depth in Triple-A Buffalo. The Blue Jays are projected to have two youngsters behind the plate in the big leagues this year in Danny Jansen and Reese McGuire, but they lacked someone who could serve as the third option, should one of them get hurt or need time in Triple-A to shake off some struggles. Joseph’s MiLB contract allows the Blue Jays to stash him in Buffalo, using him if the need arises.

Now that the Blue Jays have addressed the need for catching depth, chances are they’ll turn to bolstering the bullpen, likely on MiLB deals as Spring Training draws near, with pitchers and catchers will report to Dunedin on Feb 13th.