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On Thursday, the Toronto Blue Jays got the left-handed bat they so desperately needed.

Toronto traded outfielder Randall Grichuk to the Colorado Rockies (along with cash) for outfielder Raimel Tapia and minor leaguer Adrian Pinto. 

Tapia is a very professional hitter who is a career .280/.325/.395. He doesn’t have much power, but he can run a bit as he stole 20 bases in 2021. He is a contact hitter and a solid defender in left field.

I love this trade for the Jays. They needed a left-handed bat. The fact that Tapia is a contact hitter and adds speed are bonuses. But what makes the deal even better is the prospect the Jays acquired. 

Pinto is a 19-year-old second baseman/shortstop/centre fielder who can fly. He is listed at 5-foot-6 and 156 pounds. He is tiny but he can play. He hit .360/.487/.543 in the Dominican Summer League and stole 41 of 49 bases in just 54 games played. He walked 38 times and only struck out 18 times. 

It’s a long road from the DSL to the majors but Pinto’s numbers are intriguing. He was certainly worth the money the Jays had to add to the deal to get it done.

A crowded catching situation

Quality major league catchers are hard to come by. The two-way catcher who can hit and manage a pitching staff with aplomb is rare these days, and they are highly coveted.

Some catchers are good defenders but can’t hit much. They may fit well on teams with plenty of offence that can sacrifice some production from behind the plate. Other backstops are better offensively and may not be the most flexible receivers. Teams that need offence might be willing to sacrifice defensive skills behind the plate for a run producer. 

The Blue Jays are blessed with uncommon depth at the catching position. Danny Jansen is a solid game-caller and can lead a pitching staff. He has shown flashes offensively and I believe there is still upside for more consistency. He certainly fits the Jays as they are currently constructed.

Reese McGuire is a good defensive catcher as well and is a nice tandem catcher because of his left-handed bat. He is even more important because of the lack of lefty bats on the roster. He adds some balance to a very right-handed hitting lineup.

Alejandro Kirk is intriguing because of his offensive prowess. He has a.919 OPS in the minor leagues. He hasn’t quite blossomed in the majors yet but is still just 23 years old. He is adequate defensively as well. 

Finally, the Jays have one of the top prospects in all of baseball in Gabriel Moreno. He is the complete package. He can hit and play defence and is even athletic enough to play third on occasion. Moreno will be ready for the big leagues at some point in 2022. 

So, what does an organization do with four highly qualified catchers? It manages them with the idea that it is a long season, and the position is the most vulnerable to potential injuries.

I would plan on having Jansen as the primary catcher in Toronto with McGuire as his backup. McGuire is out of options, so he would have to be exposed to waivers if he doesn’t make the club and gets sent to the minors. That strengthens his chances of making the team because he helps maintain the depth in numbers at the position.

I would send Kirk down to Triple-A Buffalo and have him back up Moreno. Moreno will soon be the starter in Buffalo, and no one will stand in his way. He needs a bit more development, and Kirk can get at-bats there as a DH as well.

At some point, Jansen, McGuire or Kirk will become nice trade pieces to land pitching for the Jays. But for now, the team needs to plan for the marathon of a season and to protect its depth.

Expanded rosters mean extra arms

Major League Baseball and the players’ union have agreed to expand rosters from 26 (with a 13 pitcher maximum) to 28 players (no pitcher maximum) through May 1. This is an acknowledgment that the shortened spring training due to the lockout could leave some players, pitchers particularly, less than optimally prepared for the season.

Each club will manage its roster as they see fit, but the area of greatest concern will be the pitching staff. I fully expect the Jays and every other club to at least use one of the two extra spots for an additional pitcher.

Starting pitchers are not going to be stretched out as much as they would be in a normal spring training. That will mean earlier exits from the game because of workload, not necessarily results. Most teams will likely carry extra pitchers in both spots. 

The Blue Jays will likely use both extra roster positions for pitchers. They could certainly keep a third catcher (likely Kirk) and give manager Charlie Montoyo an extra offensive threat in the DH role or as a pinch hitter. But at the start of the season, my greatest concern isn’t offence or a key pinch-hit role, it is keeping the pitching staff healthy for the marathon of the season.

Since the extra roster spots are allowed because of the concerns over pitchers’ readiness, that will be the guide. I would opt for using both spots for pitchers. 

Spitting Seeds

- Jays (3B/SS) prospect Orelvis Martinez is getting rave reviews. The 20-year-old already has two home runs in his first big-league camp. The scouts question whether he will be a shortstop in the future because of his size, but at worst he looks to be a power-hitting third baseman. Said one scout: “The ball sounds different coming off his bat. It has the sound made by special hitter.” Martinez will likely start the season at Double-A and his ETA to join the Jays is 2023. 

- It feels like Nate Pearson has been a top Jays’ prospect for years. This is a critical season in his career. A decision has been made to prepare him as a starting pitcher. It is his preference, and the club wants to at least give him a chance there. But there is no room in the rotation currently. The likelihood is that Pearson will start the season in Buffalo. He only has 208.1 innings pitched in his five-year professional career and that includes 20-plus innings in the Arizona Fall league in 2017. Ideally, the Jays want him to throw 208 innings in one season. Pearson is now 25. If everyone stays healthy heading into the season the Pearson will be sent to the minors as a starter. He needs to put himself in a position to be the first pitcher promoted if there is an injury. 

- A new rule has been instituted for 2022 and beyond. It is being called the Ohtani Rule. AL MVP Shohei Ohtani took over the baseball world last season as the first real two-way player since Babe Ruth tried in in the early 1900s. One of the challenges the Angels had last season was what to do with him on days he pitched. He hit for himself in those games, with manager Joe Maddon opting not to use a designated hitter. The rules used to state that when a pitcher came out of the game he could no longer hit in his spot in the lineup. So, a couple of times when he was removed from the game as a pitcher, he went to the outfield so he could be available to hit the next half inning. 

Now that there is a universal designated hitter, the rule has been adjusted: if a pitcher is hitting for himself, and is removed from the game as a pitcher, he will be allowed to remain as the designated hitter. Since Ohtani is the only real two-way player, this rule is an appropriate acknowledgement of his stature. This is about giving fans a chance to see the superstars stay in the games. It’s a brilliant decision.