The Blue Jays can likely carry three catchers, but should they?

The Blue Jays have three MLB worthy catchers on their 40-man roster, and an emerging prospect on the way. While it’s nice to have that kind of depth at the position, the Blue Jays may also decide to include one of their receivers in a trade ahead of the 2022 season, whenever that should take place.

As things stand, the trio of Danny Jansen, Alejandro Kirk, and Reese McGuire are all capable and worthy of a big league roster spot, if not regular playing time at the highest level. Typically it would be all but impossible to think about keeping all three of them on the Opening Day roster, but Kirk is a good enough hitter that he could capably serve as the DH on occasion, and with enough juggling they could make it work.

I believe that the Jays should be looking to trade from an area of depth and strength, but they have to find the right deal in order for it to make sense. That fact may impact the timing of a potential trade as much as anything.

I’ll admit that at the beginning of the offseason I thought the Blue Jays would be almost certainly to make a move among their catching ranks, and I’ve been pretty convinced that Kirk would be the most sensible trade piece to shop around, or include in an offer for a player they’re targeting. He’s only 23 years old, he’s a plus hitter for his position, and there is room to grow on both sides of the ball for the Mexican slugger. Typically he’s not the type that the Jays would let get away, but with super-prospect Gabriel Moreno knocking on the door of the big leagues, and a capable duo in Jansen and McGuire, it might be time to capitalize on Kirk’s trade value.

Having said all of that, I’ll go back to the timing piece that I mentioned earlier. Prior to the expiration of the last CBA, there was a mad scramble to get as many free agents signed as teams could before the impending lockout. One of the areas of the market that was all but picked clean were the catchers. That also meant that most of the teams that would be obvious buyers for catching help also found some sort of solution.

That doesn’t mean that there wouldn’t be plenty of teams interested if Kirk were suddenly available, but the urgency isn’t there like it could have been in a different offseason. Without it, the Blue Jays might not get the kind of offer that they’re looking for in order to let a player like Kirk out of their grasp, and they certainly shouldn’t settle either. If the right trade isn’t available before Opening Day, then my answer to the question is yes, the Blue Jays can and even should carry three catchers.

The addition of the 26th roster spot on MLB rosters has made that a lot more feasible, as well as Kirk’s aforementioned ability to DH. In theory the Blue Jays would have four bench spots available, and right now they certainly have the room to make it work. I’m sure the front office is still looking to find some upgrades for the lineup, but here’s how I see things as currently projected:

1- George Springer (CF)
2- Bo Bichette (SS)
3- Vladmir Guerrero Jr. (1B)
4- Teoscar Hernandez (RF)
5- Lourdes Gurriel Jr. (LF)
6- Alejandro Kirk (DH)
7- Cavan Biggio (2B)
8- Danny Jansen (C)
9- Santiago Espinal (3B)

Bench: Reese McGuire, Randal Grichuk, Kevin Smith, and ?

The most obvious addition the Blue Jays would look to make would be to find an infielder to help soften to blow of losing Marcus Semien. That would push one or both of Biggio and Espinal to a part-time role, and I still think the Jays could use a left-handed hitting outfielder off the bench as well, like they had in Corey Dickerson down the stretch in 2021. It’s possible that Grichuk is dealt as well, and Kevin Smith is the kind of player that could be on the 40-man roster bubble if things get tight, so there is room to play with here to carry all three catchers. Really, it depends on how many other hitters are brought into the fold.

Assuming they have the roster space, I’d be perfectly fine seeing all three of Kirk, Jansen, and McGuire on the roster to begin the season, but it feels like one of them will have to be traded at some point as long as Moreno keeps charging through the minor league system like he has been. However, the emerging prospect is still likely going to need a few months of experience in Triple-A before he’s ready to join a contender, and that’s assuming everything goes well. The fact that the Jays are aiming to contend means they won’t rush him until he’s truly ready, and likely also until they can find a trade that makes sense in order to create the roster space.

It’s entirely possible that sort of trade doesn’t materialize until the regular season is underway. Normally I wouldn’t think that way, but with the pace of the CBA negotiations that are taking place these days, it’s increasingly possible that the regular season may not start on time. Even if it does, the rest of the “offseason” could be short and chaotic. That might present the right opportunity for the Blue Jays to trade a catcher, especially if the next CBA adds a DH for the National League, or it may be too short of a time frame to get a proper return for one of their valuable assets.

So if I’m ultimately answering the question of whether the Blue Jays should carry three catchers to begin next season, it ultimately boils down to what can be done in a limited window ahead of Opening Day. If it means that Charlie Montoyo has to juggle three catchers while they wait for the right trade to come together, then so be it.