Blue Jays sign slugging catcher, veteran lefty to minor-league deals for added depth

After making their big splash signing of Anthony Santander, the Toronto Blue Jays got right back to work on Wednesday. With the dust barely settled from Tuesday's introduction and press conference at Rogers Centre, the front office continued filling out the organizational depth with a couple of minor league signings.

The Blue Jays announced they have signed veteran catcher Christian Bethancourt and left-handed reliever Richard Lovelady to minor-league deals with invites to spring training.

Blue Jays sign veteran catcher Christian Bethancourt and lefty reliever Richard Lovelady as added depth

Blue Jays fans will be familiar with Bethancourt; the 33-year-old spent parts of two seasons with the Tampa Bay Rays in 2022 and 2023. A right-hander hitter, Bethancourt debuted in 2013 with the Atlanta Braves and carries a career .229 batting average and .621 OPS with 35 home runs and 135 RBI in 428 games. He has also played for the San Diego Padres, Oakland Athletics, Miami Marlins and Chicago Cubs.

After getting off to a horrendous start with the Marlins in 2024, he signed on with the Cubs in July and put up some impressive numbers. In a small sample size of 59 plate appearances across 24 games, he hit .281 with an .814 OPS, posting three home runs and 15 RBI.

Even if he doesn't offer much in the way of offense, Bethancourt can still control the running game. He registered an 89th percentile caught stealing above average rate and an 87th percentile pop time of .190 seconds in 2024.

While his career stats won't get Blue Jays fans out of their seats, Bethancourt's most recent MLB action provides some hope that he'll be a usable depth piece for Toronto, with catcher a position that needed reinforcements this winter. He should automatically jump to the top of the minor league depth chart, right behind backup Tyler Heineman.

Lovelady, 29, was originally drafted by the Kansas City Royals in the 10th round in 2016. He has a career 4.98 ERA and 1.33 WHIP with 90 strikeouts in 99 1/3 innings of relief.

Since his 2019 debut, he has spent time with the Athletics, Cubs and Rays, which was his last stop in 2024. Like Bethancourt, Lovelady had a horrible start to his season last year, posting a 7.94 ERA and 1.95 WHIP in 5 2/3 innings for the Cubs.

He figured things out after being traded to the Rays in May, posting a 3.77 ERA and 1.19 WHIP in 28 games. He even picked up a couple of saves. Lovelady features a three-pitch mix, with a low-90s four-seamer and sinker, as well as a mid-80s slider, which the Rays had him pull back on in favor or throwing more four-seamers.

The Blue Jays have just one left-hander (Brendon Little) projected for the Opening Day major league bullpen, according to FanGraphs' Roster Resource. Lovelady adds more lefty depth, with Josh Walker and Easton Lucas the only southpaw relievers currently on the 40-man roster.