Latest Blue Jays signing proves the club absolutely fleeced the Mariners at the trade deadline

During this past week, the Toronto Blue Jays officially began their reunion tour this offseason by signing old friend Yimi García to a two-year, $15 million contract. With the Jays needing some big-time revamping of their bullpen heading into 2025, being able to bring back one of their most reliable relievers from the 2024 season is great start to build off from.

But in doing so, the benefits sure go beyond just regaining the services of García once again. In effect, with his prompt immediate return to the club, it meant that the Jays absolutely fleeced the Seattle Mariners at the trade deadline this past season. 

Latest Blue Jays signing proves the club absolutely fleeced the Seattle Mariners at the trade deadline

In the trade with the Mariners, the Jays had received two promising prospects in outfielder Jonatan Clase and catcher Jacob Sharp. Clase even ended up debuting for his team towards the end of September, as he batted a solid .350 with a .985 OPS, along with three runs scored, one double, one home run and two RBI in seven total games played. His elite combination of speed and defense, along with some pop makes him a player to seriously look out for in the coming years for Toronto.

As for Sharp, he provides some much-needed depth at the catcher’s position for the organization after seeing the likes of Gabriel Moreno and Danny Jansen leave in recent years. Sharp put together a solid 2024 minor league campaign, compiling a .245 average, .747 OPS, together with 43 runs scored, nine home runs, 38 RBI while showing great plate discipline with only 30 strikeouts in 245 total at-bats.

In terms of what García ended up providing the Mariners, he actually struggled mightily with Seattle following the deadline. In 10 relief appearances, he posted a dismal 6.00 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, giving up six earned runs on seven hits, including three home runs, along with four walks and seven strikeouts in just nine innings of work. To make matters even worse, García would go down to what turned out to be a season-ending elbow injury while the Mariners painfully missed the playoffs by a single game at the season’s end.

Through it all, the Jays should now have a healthy García heading into 2025, along with two exciting young players that could provide significant contributions to the club in the not-so-distant future. As for the Mariners, all they were left with were the memories of the nine ineffective innings from the 34-year-old veteran reliever, along with missing the postseason altogether. With that, there’s no question that the Jays are the true winners by a landslide in what has transformed into an unexpected lopsided trade in the end.