A deep dive into what the Blue Jays got back in the Yimi Garcia trade

The Blue Jays' trade deadline began on Friday as they traded Yimi Garcia to the Mariners in a deal that saw them acquire two prospects. The return was Jonatan Clase, a 22-year-old switch-hitting outfielder and Jacob Sharp, a 22-year-old catcher.

Clase has spent most of his season at Triple-A and did have a brief stint in the majors as well (in which he struggled). He is slashing .274/.373/.483 in Triple A which is good for a 111 wRC+. He was ranked as the #13 prospect in a strong Mariners system in Baseball America's recent update.

Clase's best tool is his speed. He stole 79 bags in 2023 and has stole 29 bags so far in 2024. That speed translates to the outfield and he is capable of playing all three outfield positions. There's room for him to polish his game in the field but he has the tools, predominantly his speed, to be a well above-average defensive outfielder.

As a hitter, Clase has enjoyed plenty of offensive success throughout his minor league career even though he has been consistently young for his level. The question becomes whether or not he can sustain that at the big league level. Despite consistently high walk rates, Clase's swing decisions need work. He'll flail wildly at pitches in the dirt but also watch good pitches go by. He has good raw power in his smaller frame but he's inconsistent in getting into games.

The good news is that he hits plenty of flyballs already so this isn't as much a swing path issue as it is a barrel accuracy issue. Clase will swing and miss plenty. This is partly due to mediocre bat-to-ball skills and partly due to pitch recognition issues. The latter is likely an easier fix but the Blue Jays probably think they can improve both. One way to cut his strikeouts is cut down his chase. Clase makes enough contact in the zone but when a pitcher gets him to expand he's an easy target.

The Mariners are a team that has struggled greatly with strikeouts, especially close to the majors. Compare that to the Jays who have no issues making contact but more trouble doing damage on contact. Clase is young enough that there's probably natural improvement ahead of him but he'll still likely need some coaching in order to be a major league caliber hitter. I do commend them for taking a swing on a riskier player that doesn't fit their usual type. He needs work to be more than a 4th or 5th outfielder but he does have potential which makes him enticing in a return for a rental reliever. He may well see time in the majors with the Jays this season even if he's still a bit undercooked.

The other part of the trade, Sharp, has a 105 wRC+ at Single-A. He's old for the level and as a 2023 17th-round pick he doesn't come with a lot of pedigree. Sharp is more of a typical Blue Jays target as he shows excellent bat-to-ball skills with a sub 10% strikeout rate. He doesn't have a lot of power and anyone walking less than 10% down at Single-A can safely be assumed to not have the best plate discipline. He has done a good job of controlling the run game and should continue to play catcher for the foreseeable future. Sharp is likely just organization depth and a throw in to address the Jays' shallow pool of catchers in the minor leagues.