Blue Jays: Reese McGuire’s arrest will not impact role with team

According to Hazel Mae of Sportsnet, Toronto Blue Jays General Manager Ross Atkins advised the media that Reese McGuire’s recent legal troubles will not affect him from a baseball standpoint.

As most of you know by now, Blue Jays catcher Reese McGuire was arrested last week in Florida for exposing his sexual organs in a parking lot according to Pinellas County Sheriff Office. The receiver was expected to play a pivotal role along with Danny Jansen behind the dish this season.

It was unknown just how this recent indiscretion was going to affect his chances to remain with the team, however, it appears the Blue Jays are prepared to overlook the disturbing allegation and McGuire wants to address the fans in due course according to the GM.

The Blue Jays opted not to comment yesterday on the incident out of respect for the legal process which is the standard operating procedure. McGuire made the cover of the Toronto Sun today with the caption “Car Jacking” beside his picture and the subtitle “Batter Up! Jay’s Reese McGuire arrested for allegedly masturbating in busy parking lot in Florida.”

More from Toronto Blue Jays News

• Blue Jays: Vladimir Guerrero Jr. open to a long-term contract
• Blue Jays: Snapping cold streaks at the right time
• Who Should the Blue Jays Extend First: Guerrero, Bichette or Manoah?
• Blue Jays now hold the top Wild Card spot, and yes that’s a good thing
• Blue Jays may have the tools to use a Bullpen Day

We ran a poll on our Twitter feed yesterday polling our followers if they thought that McGuire would be done as a Blue Jay. 58% out of the 266 voters felt that McGuire would remain with the team while 22% thought he was done and 20% needed more information before making a final decision on his fate.

The Jays acquired McGuire from the Pittsburgh Pirates along with Francisco Liriano and Harold Ramirez in exchange for pitcher Drew Hutchison back in 2016. The 24-year old was recalled late last season and outshone Jansen in the final 30 games hitting .299/.346/.526 with five homers while playing stellar defence.

It was a totally avoidable incident and something that will haunt McGuire for a long time. The 24-year old will need to make better decisions moving forward and understand how heightened it is for an athlete to behave in this manner.

I would love to be a fly on the wall when the 24-year old attempts to explain his actions to his teammates. You can guarantee, there will be a lifelong clubhouse nickname that will come out of all this.