Former Blue Jays catcher leaves AL East and signs with Cubs in free agency

Reese McGuire reportedly has a minor-league deal in place.

Former Toronto Blue Jays catcher Reese McGuire has reportedly signed a minor league contract with the Chicago Cubs
Former Toronto Blue Jays catcher Reese McGuire has reportedly signed a minor league contract with the Chicago Cubs | Vaughn Ridley/GettyImages

It wasn't too long ago that the Toronto Blue Jays were bursting at the seams with backstops. As it stands right now, the Toronto Blue Jays' current catching situation is on tenuous ground heading into the 2025 season, which is probably why they went out and signed veteran Christian Bethancourt to a minor-league deal this week.

With Alejandro Kirk the only starting-caliber catcher on the roster, fans will be yearning for the days when the team had to choose which of three catchers to hang on to — and we're talking about before the infamous December 2022 trade that sent prospect Gabriel Moreno to Arizona.

Former Blue Jays catcher Reese McGuire has reportedly signed a minor-league deal with the Cubs

One of those former Blue Jays catchers, Reese McGuire, popped up in the news this week after Just Baseball's Aram Leighton reported that the 29-year-old had signed a minor-league contract with the Chicago Cubs on Wednesday. McGuire, who was once part of the Blue Jays' three-catcher "problem" after Kirk arrived on the scene, spent the last two and half seasons with the AL East rival Boston Red Sox.

McGuire struggled with the bat in Beantown in 2024, hitting just .209 with a .575 OPS in 158 plate appearances over 53 games before heading to free agency in September.

McGuire played four seasons in Toronto after debuting in 2018. The former Pittsburgh Pirates first-round pick got off to a strong start with the Blue Jays and made a good first impression. Over a small 44-game sample between 2018 and 2019, he slashed .297/.343/.539 with seven home runs and 10 doubles in 138 plate appearances.

McGuire cratered during the shortened 2020 season, batting .073/.146/.220. He bounced back with a .253/.310/.343 line in 2021, but never regained the same offensive capabilities.

Unfortunately, after splitting catching duties almost evenly with Kirk and Danny Jansen in 2021, McGuire was the odd man out when push came to shove. The Blue Jays traded him to the Chicago White Sox for catcher Zack Collins in April 2022. Chicago turned around and dealt McGuire to the Red Sox at the trade deadline later that summer.

McGuire carries a career .252 batting average and .664 OPS with 16 homers and 82 RBI into 2025 with the Cubs. With Miguel Amaya and Carson Kelly currently Chicago's MLB catchers, McGuire will need a good showing in spring training and to make the most of his opportunity when and if he gets one this season.

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