Blue Jays open door for their young catchers with sly Saltalamacchia deal

When news broke Tuesday that the Toronto Blue Jays had signed journeyman catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia, it didn’t seem like a particularly notable addition.

The Blue Jays needed a catcher to play behind Russell Martin, ideally someone who could play a few more games than the average backup backstop. Saltalamacchia seems to fit the bill. Case closed, or so it would seem.

The most interesting part of the deal – much more interesting than the player in question – is that it’s reportedly a minor-league contract.

The fact Saltalamacchia didn’t get a major-league deal coming off a year where he hit .171/.284/.346 isn’t shocking, but it is intriguing in the context of the Blue Jays roster.

According to a club source of BP Toronto’s Gideon Turk, there is a notion the team could go with prized catching prospect Reese McGuire as the backup catcher if he shows enough during spring training. It’s hard to imagine the 21-year-old being ready to hit big-league pitching considering he slashed .254/.332/.335 at Double-A last season, but his defensive gifts are undeniable.

Another option worth considering for the Blue Jays remains A.J. Jimenez. The 26-year-old has been injury-prone in the minor leagues and his numbers don’t get boxscore scouts drooling, but he’s another player with serious defensive promise. Considering he’s out of options, he’ll now have every opportunity to show himself as a viable candidate for the big-league roster.

It would have been reasonable to expect the Blue Jays to sign a more reliable veteran than Saltalamacchia to a big-league deal, send McGuire to Triple-A, and try to slip Jimenez through waivers (or divest themselves of him altogether).

Instead, they’ve left the window cracked open for one of their young catchers to impress them in the run up to April. It’s a mini gamble where the most likely outcome is a club stuck with a defensively-unimpressive backup with gaudy strikeout totals in Saltalamacchia.

On the other hand, there’s a chance that a team with limited up-and-coming talent finds a youthful spark behind their veteran catcher. On February 14 pitchers and catchers will report to Blue Jays spring training, and Tuesday’s signing made that date a touch more interesting.