As the Toronto Blue Jays continue their sell-off, the Boston Red Sox continue to add.
On Saturday, the Red Sox acquired catcher Danny Jansen from Toronto in exchange for infielders Cutter Coffey and Eddinson Paulino along with right-handed pitcher Gilberto Batista.
#BlueJays officially announce they have traded Danny Jansen to the Red Sox for INF Cutter Coffey, INF Eddinson Paulino and RHP Gilberto Batista
— Kaitlyn McGrath (@kaitlyncmcgrath) July 27, 2024
The Red Sox have been seeking a right-handed bat to add to their lineup and Jansen serves as a right-handed upgrade over lefty-hitting catcher Reese McGuire.
Boston’s starting catcher, Connor Wong, has taken on a majority of the playing time behind the plate this season (62 games versus 40 for McGuire) and has also been among the team’s best hitters with a .299 average and .803 OPS in 77 games.
McGuire, meanwhile, started the year hot, but is batting just .209 with a .575 OPS in 52 games.
Jansen’s .671 OPS in 61 games offers an improvement over McGuire, and despite a meager .212 average, Jansen has decent numbers against lefties (.244 with a .665 OPS), an area the Red Sox were looking to improve.
Jansen is an average to below-average defensive catcher with among the best blocking skills in the league but also a below-average arm and pop times. He’s thrown out 14 percent of would-be base stealers compared to Wong’s 22 percent and McGuire’s 25 percent.
As a free agent this winter, his addition keeps the door open for Boston’s top catching prospect, Kyle Teel, currently in Double A, to join Wong at some point next season.
The Red Sox felt getting the best right-handed hitter available at a reasonable cost was a priority. Chief baseball officer Craig Breslow said he had planned to trade from the team’s surplus of middle infielders and he did that in parting with Coffey and Paulino. Paulino would have had to be added to the 40-man roster this winter as a Rule 5 draftee.
Coffey, a 2022 second-round pick, was hitting .238 with a .784 OPS in 61 games in High A. Earlier this season, Coffey had a historic stretch of homering in six straight games. Paulino, a 2018 international free agent, was hitting .263 with a .740 OPS at Double A. The Athletic’s Keith Law ranked Paulino his No. 18 Red Sox prospect entering the season. Batista, 19, had made eight appearances, five starts, in the Florida Complex League with a 3.92 ERA.
Jansen was the longest-tenured member of the Blue Jays, having been drafted by the club in 2013. He made his MLB debut in 2018 and has been one of the club’s primary catchers ever since.
A beloved member of the clubhouse, Jansen was known for his quiet leadership. He was well-liked by the pitching staff because of his calming demeanor behind the plate. He can be an offensive threat when leaning into his potent pull power, although he’s homered only once since June 1 and has been in an extended slump at the plate, hitting .134/.232/.196 since the start of June.
In recent years, Jansen has also had a run of bad luck with injuries, but he’s been on the injured list only once this season with a wrist fracture that he suffered in spring training.
To make room on the 40-man roster for Jansen, the Red Sox designated for assignment right-hander Alex Speas.
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