The Toronto Blue Jays don’t need to panic with Alejandro Kirk sidelined by injury, but they could make a subtle move that addresses their catching depth.
Here’s a thought: they should call the Boston Red Sox about Mickey Gasper.
Gasper isn’t exactly a household name – he’s not even on Boston’s MLB roster right now, working at Triple-A Worcester instead. But that’s exactly what would make him affordable in a trade.
The 26-year-old catcher has hit better than .300 in three separate minor league seasons. That’s the kind of track record that suggests there’s something to work with here.
Sure, Gasper struggled with the Twins last season, batting just .158 in 45 games. That’s rough, no question about it. But his minor league numbers tell a different story, and it’s hard to believe he’d be quite that bad with another shot.
So far this season at Worcester, Gasper’s hitting a cool .400. Small sample size, but still.
Tyler Heineman and Brandon Valenzuela aren’t terrible options behind the plate. Maybe Gasper isn’t actually better than either right now. But he’s someone who might have a bit of untapped upside that’s worth exploring.
What makes this more interesting is what happens when Kirk returns. Gasper doesn’t become useless.
He played second base in the majors last year and has experience at first base and in the outfield. If the Blue Jays could unlock his bat, he’d turn into a useful utility piece.
The question is whether the Red Sox would want to make this kind of deal within the division. It’d require Toronto to offer something worthwhile in return.
But from where I’m sitting, it’s the type of low-risk move that could pay real dividends while they’re missing Kirk. Sometimes the best trades are the ones nobody sees coming.
