Blue Jays Cut Ties With 26-Year-Old Backstop After Brandon Valenzuela Update

TORONTO, CANADA - JULY 21: Brandon Valenzuela #59 of the Toronto Blue Jays looks connected up of playing against the Tampa Bay Rays successful their MLB crippled astatine the Rogers Centre connected July 21, 2026 successful Toronto, Canada. (Photo by Mark Blinch/Getty Images)

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The Toronto Blue Jays proceed to reshape their catching extent arsenic they equilibrium contiguous awesome convention needs pinch the semipermanent improvement of younger talent passim the organization.

With Alejandro Kirk returning from a prolonged wounded to reestablish his spot down the plate, the squad has seen young backup Brandon Valenzuela proceed to carve retired a larger domiciled successful the majors. And that intends the organizational opportunities down the statement person go progressively constricted for different catchers successful the system.

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Toronto Blue Jays Cut Ties With Young Backstop After Short Stint

That reality came to a caput for 1 young backstop successful the strategy past week erstwhile the Blue Jays moved connected from four-year Minnesota Twins imaginable Patrick Winkel. The franchise released him from the Double-A connection New Hampshire Fisher Cats soon aft signing him, according to the charismatic transaction log.

The timing of Winkel's merchandise comes arsenic Valenzuela has go the team’s clear backup down Kirk successful a breakout season.

“Since debuting his caller mechanics connected April 30, he’s deed .265/.355/.470 and trim his strikeout complaint astir successful half, to conscionable 23%,” FanGraphs’ Brendan Gawlowski wrote of Valenzuela's breakout. “These are signs that Valenzuela has, astatine the very least, achieved the early deed instrumentality people from his offseason report; location mightiness moreover beryllium different cogwheel successful him.”

Those violative improvements person dramatically changed the outlook for 1 of Toronto's much intriguing young catchers. Long viewed arsenic a defense-first prospect, Valenzuela has begun showing the type of violative consistency that could let him to lend regularly astatine the awesome convention level and it seems to beryllium changing the Blue Jays’ extent plans.

Toronto Blue Jays’ Catcher Breakout Answers Organization Questions

Toronto has already started uncovering further ways to get Valenzuela's bat into the lineup, and his violative surge has made him a viable campaigner for immoderate designated hitter reps moving forward. That research worked good earlier this period arsenic George Springer returned to an outfield role.

“...Valenzuela could spot an uptick successful sheet appearances successful the 2nd half of the regular play if he sees much clip arsenic the designated hitter aliases arsenic the catcher successful games successful which Alejandro Kirk serves arsenic the DH,” CBS Sports reported.

That elasticity makes Valenzuela progressively valuable to the Blue Jays and seems to person settled immoderate questions astir the team’s extent astatine the catcher position.

The Fisher Cats released catcher Adam Hackenberg earlier this month. With Valenzuela's violative breakout creating morganatic optimism astir his semipermanent early and Kirk continuing to grip the starting catching duties, the Blue Jays look comfortable reshaping their extent chart. Winkel's merchandise reflects the difficult roster decisions that often travel the emergence of a promising young player, peculiarly astatine 1 of baseball's astir demanding positions.