7 veterans the Blue Jays could sign this offseason to grant Kevin Gausman his wish

Elias Diaz

While we're going to spend more time talking about the pitching staff than anything else, the Blue Jays are also going to need themselves a second catcher. The club traded long-time backstop Danny Jansen to the Red Sox at the deadline and has since relied upon the likes of Brian Serven and Tyler Heineman to back up Alejandro Kirk.

All due respect to those two, but that's not going to cut it in 2025. The Blue Jays could pursue a reunion with Jansen, which would certainly go over well with the clubhouse and the fans. Or, they could go after a cheaper option that's got an All-Star Game and 10 years of experience under his belt.

To be clear, there's no wrong answer between Jansen and Diaz. Both player would enter a 50-50 time split with Kirk, who's really held his own since being handed the full-time starting catcher's role. Strictly financially speaking, Diaz would be cheaper than Jansen, and he's also got a longer track record of durability, which is really important here.

The 2024 season has been a lost one for Diaz, who's made it into 95 games between the Rockies and Padres and done nothing to really stand out above the rest. However, he's got a bat that's steadily improved in the power department over the years and in most years, he's an extremely solid option defensively behind the plate.

The Blue Jays need veterans and they need help behind the plate. Jansen, Diaz, take your pick, but signing the cheaper one and getting the same amount of value for less money will help the Jays spend money on pitching upgrades.