Blue Jays Video
If Saturday's spring training game debut is any indicator, Alejandro Kirk is set up for a big season. He ended his day 1-for-2 with an RBI and did some very impressive things with the bat. In his first plate appearance, he fell behind, 1-2, then drove a Carlos Rodón changeup into left field (missing out on a hit due to a nice defensive play). In his second at-bat, Kirk got ahead, 3-0, then roped a 93-mph fastball into left for an RBI single, scoring Bo Bichette and knocking Rodón out of the game.
The exit velocities on his two plate appearances were phenomenal: 109.6 mph off the bat in the first and 110.4 in the second, the two highest exit velocities in the game. In fact, those two numbers would have ranked second and fourth respectively out of Kirk's batted balls during the 2024 season. Kirk delivered once again on Tuesday, knocking another hard-hit RBI single up the middle against the Cardinals:
There is no question about Kirk's importance for the Blue Jays this season, but the team will need more than one catcher. Last season Kirk led the team in games at the position with 103. That number was 123 in 2023. That's a heavy workload, and expecting it from him for three years in a row is a tall order.
The role of a backup catcher is very challenging. They’ve got to know the pitching staff inside and out just like the starter catcher, but with minimum reps. They also have to prepare and plan for other teams just like the starting pitchers. On top of that, leadership skills and the ability to contribute to the team when called up are also important. As a team, the Blue Jays value defence highly, especially up the middle, and the catchers are no different. Danny Jansen was known as a hitting prospect coming through the pipeline, and the Blue Jays sharpened his defence as he became a regular big leaguer. The same is true for Kirk, a bat-first prospect who developed into one of the best framers in the game. The Blue Jays do not have good options at backup catcher.
As things currently stand, Tyler Heineman is projected to be the team's primary backup, but even for a backup catcher, Heinemann is not that exciting an option. He has a career OPS of just .571. Even as a decent defender and framer, it's unlikely we want to run with the now 33-year-old for an extended period of time. The other options the Blue Jays have for their backup catcher spot include Ali Sanchez and Christian Bethancourt, both of whom are in camp on minor-league deals, and neither of whom have ever shown the ability to hit. Sanchez has a career OPS of just .438 and although he is a good blocker, the defence is just okay. Bethancourt's career .621 OPS doesn't feel much better, and although the former pitcher has an incredible arm, he's not much of a framer. If Kirk gets hurt or underperforms, the Blue Jays will be giving significant playing time to these options. Even if Kirk stays healthy and productive, one of these players will be catching at least 40 games, creating a giant black hole in the lineup.
It's not too late for the Blue Jays to fill this backup role with a catcher who has veteran experience, is an elite framer, and in a perfect world, can hit left-handed to help against a tough right-handed pitcher. Out of the remaining free-agent catchers, Yasmani Grandal might make a lot of sense. Grandal's best skill behind the plate is his framing ability. According to Baseball Savant, he’s 86th percentile in framing, and according to Baseball Prospectus in 2024 he ranked:
- Seventh in Called Strikes Above Average
- 10th in framing runs
- 10th in Deserved runs prevented
Grandal did all of this while hitting from both sides of the plate, swatting nine home runs and running a .704 OPS (.987 OPS after the All-Star break). His barrel rate (9.8%) and hard-hit rate (42.8%) were much improved from his time with the White Sox, and he did all of this while sharing time at catcher with the Pirates.
Grandal is far from a perfect player. If he were, he’d cost a lot more money and would be signed by now, He’s got a poor throwing arm, is a candidate for one of the slowest base runners in baseball, and, going into his age-37 season, his peak years as a perennial five-win player are behind him. But having to rely on extended periods from Sanchez/Bethancourt/Heinemann would be a recipe for disaster, especially for a team whose offence underperformed last season. Grandal isn't perfect, but he could be had for cheap on a short-term deal, and anything but his worst-case projection would make him a significant upgrade over these options.
Upgrading at catcher would help the Blue Jays raise their floor, but, crucially for a team that projections see as somewhat unlikely to make the playoffs, it could also raise their ceiling quite a bit. One thing is for sure: there still may be a move or two to be made for the Blue Jays between now and Opening Day. Adding Grandal's framing ability would make the Blue Jays better.
Edited by Davy Andrews
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