The White Sox and Blue Jays have agreed to a swap of catchers, according to ESPN’s Jeff Passan (Twitter link). Zack Collins is headed to Toronto, while Reese McGuire has been dealt to the Sox.
Rumors have swirled for months that the Jays were looking to move some of their catching depth, though today’s move still gives Toronto a bit more roster flexibility behind the plate while still retaining that depth. Collins has a minor league option remaining while McGuire is out of options, so the Blue Jays can now more easily stash Collins at Triple-A.
From Chicago’s perspective, the Sox now have a more established big leaguer who can work as the backup behind Yasmani Grandal. Since Grandal will get some time at the DH spot, McGuire and Seby Zavala (who is also out of options) can each get some action behind the plate, and the expanded 28-man rosters for April will allow the White Sox the luxury of carrying three catchers.
The Pirates selected McGuire with the 14th overall pick of the 2013 draft, and he was a regular on top-100 prospect lists during his time in Pittsburgh’s farm system. However, despite some good numbers in limited action in 2018-19, McGuire’s potential has yet to really manifest itself at the big league level. The 27-year-old has hit .248/.297/.390 with nine homers over an even 400 plate appearances with the Blue Jays, with McGuire often finding himself behind Danny Jansen, Alejandro Kirk, and Luke Maile on the catching depth chart.
Collins and McGuire share rather similar resumes — both are left-handed hitting catchers, they were born less than a month apart in 1995, and both are former first-round picks. The White Sox selected Collins 10th overall in 2016, and like McGuire, Collins has also yet to offer much production in the majors. Collins has a .195/.315/.330 slash line and seven home runs in 351 career PA, and he has struck out in 113 of those plate appearances.
Defense has been a question mark for Collins dating back to his college days at the University Of Miami, whereas McGuire is regarded as a decent defender. (Statcast gave McGuire a solid +4 in framing runs during the 2021 season.) This could be seen as something of a hitting-for-defense swap, if the Jays think they’ve seen something in Collins that can allow him to unlock his power potential.
With Collins able to be optioned, Jansen and Kirk now projects as Toronto’s regular catching tandem, and Kirk is also expected to get some DH time. It isn’t out of the question that the Jays might still deal from this catching depth, as star prospect Gabriel Moreno is starting the season at Triple-A and could be making his Major League debut before 2022 is out.
I like puppies
While I like puppies I do however prefer kittens.
^^#1 sign ur a serial killer
Yeah, that’s all sounds pretty sketchy to me too.
kittens are the serial killers.
We talkin bout the Jerry Lawler ones?
Both are great. Can’t go wrong w puppies
Blue Jays finally unloaded mister happy hands.
Kids, get out of the basement and go outside and play. It’s a nice day outside today!
Grab some of mommy’s cookies on your way out.
Collins must have a minor league option left. Solid for cws.
absolutely agree. and he does
I often like to read the article then leave a comment stating exactly what’s in said article trying to appear smarter than I am.
Things can be posted before updates!!!!
Yeah my comment was when this article was two sentences.
Yep, it says so in the article.
Dumpster Diving Ricky!
Why?
Collins has an option left so the Blue Jays aren’t glued to him at the MLB level all year. He isn’t a bad hitter for the position either McGuire is a much better defender and they would rather have a plus defender as Grandal’s backup.
I agree with you superstar. But yet every year, you hear the bs from Chisox tv announcers, about the great defensive job that Grandal does. Truth of the matter, is they had to make this trade because Grandal is below average behind the plate.
Actually, last week, Steve Stone insisted that the Sox needed to upgrade to a quality defensive #2 catcher. He basically predicted a trade like this.
Except a “defensive” catcher with McGuire is hitting better than the “offensive” Collins.
No, he’s definitely OFFENSIVE. I mean, have you seen the arrest reports? Very offensive.
@Clipper-are you trying to say he’s not master of his domain? I find that hard to believe.
I was wondering the EXACT same question from Toronto’s perspective; WHY?! There could be a facet of the deal I am missing, but this seems to me like the Jays had a net loss in this deal.
They traded their third string catcher for a third string catcher that they could stash in Buffalo.
jdgoat, I understand the “purpose” of the deal and the so-called logic behind it, but the comparison is relative because not all “third string catchers” are equal, as this deal illustrates.
in this case however they could be the same player
Yes and while I agree it still seems like a down grade for the Jays. The only thing i can think is there were no other deals and the Jays didn’t wanna lose him for nothing now I wonder who else makes the team, bird and who
Sometimes a downgrade is an upgrade. McGuire would’ve taken at bats away from Kirk. The team is better off with Kirk taking those ABs and using a roster spot on another position. Acquiring Collins who can be stashed in AAA means that a catcher injury doesn’t force the Jays to bring up Moreno before they want to.
Weird move. Seems like the Blue Jays basically just did a solid for the White Sox. Here’s a decent catcher for your crappy catcher. K, bye.
Guess its just someone to catch bullpen or backup Moreno in AAA. But even then I am sure they could find someone in the system to do the same.
But Zack Collins was so beloved, to so many of the Chisox fans on this board. This must have broke a lot of hearts.
That is what happens to hardcore team fans with former first rounders. I am still holding out hope that Riley Pint will get it together and become the Rockies ace.
I think with regular at-bats Collins would reliably hit a lot of homers and get on base at the MLB level. He has a really good eye, the kind you can’t teach. People act like he has this long MLB track record of failure, but he’s barely played.
Can he stick at catcher? It maybe doesn’t seem like it at this point. But where the Sox messed up is not letting him play more catcher when the team was in the dark days of the rebuild. That was insanely stupid. I hope he gets a chance with the Jays.
The kind of eye that gives you those epic strike out numbers?
Chisox win the trade. Reese’s offense is much better.
you’re right in one regard, blancos….collins has just a short mlb track record of failure, but it’s been ABJECT FAILURE, following a long minor league record of failure, the likes of which have hardly ever been seen. did you ever check out his incredible strikeout rate?…which began at ROOKIE BALL.
I am surprised it was only for McGuire. I thought Semien and Vlad Jr would both be part of the deal based on other trades Collins has been proposed in on this board.
It would help if Semien was a Blue Jay then wouldn’t it?
He’s not as beloved as Brent Lillibridge by South siders
or Harry Chappas
Or Augie Ojeda and Ryan Theriot or Nick Madrigal by Cubs fans
IHey, wait a minute do not besmirch the name of Augie Ojeda by associating him with those other two clones
Reese got traded cuz he was likely caught in the locker room working on a single hand movement.
Working on his grip strength…. And with him, it was probably in the press boxes, during a game.
Makes a lot of sense for the White Sox. I don’t like it from the Blue Jays’ point of view. McGuire was a minor piece, and extraneous, but Collins doesn’t really add much to their squad. He’s a DH who isn’t very good at hitting
I hate this trade for Toronto. Now they have no defensive catcher. Jansen is below average and TERRIBLE at game calling and Kirk need more experience which he may not get because Chuckles thinks Jansen is Pudge Rodriguez which he is NOT.
This is a stupid take… Please show any indication that Jansen is a bad catcher.. or is it just your uneducated opinion?
Any defensive metric has him well above average. Game calling?? I watch every Jays game and would never call him bad. He’s above average at worst there too.
It’s clear you don’t watch games because nobody would come away thinking that about him… Kirk needs work, absolutely, but he can hit well enough to get away with what he offers behind the dish..
And Moreno will be starting by midseason anyways…
@ Nantaico Slow down there Will Smith. I do watch every game and have been since the mid 80s and I can tell you Jansen does not know how to call a game. he executes the plan he is given but when that don’t work he has no idea how to adjust. This is also evident in the numbers. If you go back and lookup the stats on last year it shows that Jansen is a below average receiver with some pop that didn’t showup until September last year. as a matter of fact Jansen was ranked 26th overall from all catchers defensive metrics according to fangraphs while McGuire was 14? I think. so settle down we are now stuck with Jansen and you can rage in May about his 6 passed balls, 170 batting average and 2 members of the rotation wanting someone else to catch…just …Berrios, Ray and Manoah last requested.
sorry the end should read ……just like last year when Berrios, Ray and Manoah requested it.
Wow, you so smart. You have knowledge of the inner workings of the team, gleaned from your basement.
No smartass I watch the games and if you did you would have saw the same thing that after Jansen caught each of the above pitchers he never caught them again. this includes the start with Berrios whom he caught once in early September and never got the start with Berrios again…Not great for a guy who is “suppose” to be the number 1 catcher.
@ Darthyen;
Well, let me assure you, watching the games marks you as a weirdo here. It’s all about selective statistics that posters (and writers) can manipulate to show how smart they are.
Shapiro is a control freak. Always has been. He doesn’t allow much wiggle room for his players or manager where thinking is concerned. Anything that can be programmed based on his analytical theories that year he will do. He was especially was bad at getting quality Catchers in Cleveland, preferring to think himself a genius for converting infielders to the position where they were always became 2nd rate defensive players. Kirk and now Moreno are his sort of Catchers – burly guys that are bat-first; but they just need to follow the paint-by-numbers and the Catching will take care of itself.
I’ve telling you – they caught lightening in a bottle with Ray last year, and to some degree with Metz. That pitching coach has been there since 2021, now suddenly he’s a genius. Shapiro, Atkins and the manager are geniuses. Watch the Jays pitching over the next year or two.
He let Francona manage – happy to have gotten him. That’s when Cleveland slowly turned itself around.
You bring up good points about Jansen. If you look at the other Catchers on the Jays he might be the best at working with Pitchers and playing D. Be forewarned.
My bad – Pitching Coach has been there since 2012.
Am bad typist. Always get timed out.
Your wrong about Danny he is actually one of the better defensive catchers in baseball and well known for be good. We just don’t know if Danny can hit for more then one month.
Although stats don’t tell the full story IMO but its worth checking out the stats on Jansen and he is a below average defender. The last site I checked (I think it was Statcast) for 2021 Jansen was ranked 26th out 50 catchers ranked for defense while Mcguire was ranked somewhere around 14th.
Jansen is a typical Toronto player where all the announcers/media rave about how great a certain player is and in reality they are average or less (Russ Adams, JPA, Ryan Goins, Keven Pillar, Joe Biagini, and so on) I am NOT saying they were bad players just not the super Stars Toronto media/announcers make them out to be.
Who raved about Russ Adams lol
And goins and pillar were excellent defenders in Toronto. Your arguments don’t even make sense. You sound like an old man yelling at a cloud
Danny Jansen is a well above average defensive catcher. Not sure what this guy is talking about.
Well “cloud” if you knew how to read you would see i was only making reference to Jansen being made out to be better than he actually is much like the players mentioned,
For the record lots of Toronto media raved about Adams and JP Retardi would not give up Adams in a trade opting instead to give away Arron Hill.. As for Goins and Pillar they were good defenders but platoon/bench pieces at best as they found out after leaving Toronto in spite of the fact that Toronto media/announcer talked about them like they were star players.
Try checking out some stats or just watch some games.
Yah I have jays season seats and go to plenty of games, thanks for tip.
I would have traded Jansen over McGuire.
Like every other home sports booth/media outlet on the planet
Mcguire’s stock is rising. Guy will have to beat off all the fans on the south side.
Exhausting all of their options
Reese McGuire FLEES CANADA to evade prosecution for his past CRIMES???? (NOT CLICKBAIT)
The incident was in Florida, not Canada.
you think that was an isolated incident? the rabbit hole goes deeper than you think
Do you know something that no one else knows? Or is this just your imagination?
Heh you said “hole.”
Sounds like someone has been clicking and baiting over the matter a little too often
The proof is very easy to find and verify. Google “two men kissing” for more info. I know YOU will like what you see, sleepy joe
Well it sounds like you liked it. That’s good enough for me.
I believe everything you say. Where can I send my donation?
He’s a real up and comer.
Yeah, he was much classier than to do it in Canada! He did it in a Walmart parking lot in Florida….
His hands are still stuck together. So he definitely can’t shake on it.
A fast arm motion is good for a catcher. He also beats out…some hits. So that’s to the good.
He may – however – have a problem with impulse control. Have to see if he works it out in Chicago. He could be a messy locker room presence.
Apparently they hear he’s really quick to the balls, and his pop times are amazing!
Yeah, I heard they special-ordered him a trench coat too… ya know, complete the whole persona.
I thought it was Macys
@joesmoes- Macy’s sounds a lot more exciting then Walmart.
Worked for Wackenhut Security.
Hopefully he can handle the backup catcher situation. I don’t want things to get out of whack.
Makes sense. Collins has an extra year of control, McGuire is slightly better thus far. Both are still young enough to have upside though.
Kind of a toss up IMO.
I do it again sox fans!
hahaha
I can’t figure why Zavala would be #3. Ciuffo looks better both offensively and defensively.
This is essentially a Reese DFA by the Jays. Collins is merely taken for a warm body for minors. Thought they would be able to get at least a young very low level prospect for Reese but oh well.
Wow, Jays just threw away a decent catcher. Collins is not very good.
I can’t beleive that is all the Jays could get for McGuire. I guess their hands were tied.
This is the first move I haven’t liked in 2022 for the Jays.
Reese was waived to start last season and nobody was willing to take him for free. 198 ABs with an OPS+ of 79 wasn’t going to raise his stock much. They were lucky to pick up an optionable player for him who can be injury insurance without taking at bats from Kirk.
Is McGuire a good defensive catcher?
Yes.
Probably know for being offensive. However he really handles a staff well and can play the organ when he is not in there.
@SupremeZeus it could be worse, like the Watson fiasco or being a pedo. At least Reese rose to the occasion and rubbed his little Johnson out
@PiratesFan1981- We’re you there for confirmation?
McGuire is twice as good defensively as Collins and McGuire can hit for average if he uses all fields. Not much power. This is a good deal for the Sox.
@jimmertee definitely agree
This deal allows Collins to the minors, McGuire was not going to play more than 35 games. McGuire’s position of 35 games will be taken by Moreno by END of May. Collins will remain in AAA.
2 spots will be covered by Greg Bird as LH Designated Hitter and backup for Guerrero. Worth about 350 -400 AB for 2022. Dexter Fowler becomes the 5th OF and backup for Springer.
Jays have now balanced their RHB and LHB. So McGuire trade makes more sense if you look to a larger context.
If the Jays plan to use Fowler in CF they should have held onto Grichuk.
Fowler isn’t making the Jays. No way, no how.
He is just depth.
Agreed.
Reds just cut Akiyama. Jays had interest in him when he first came over from Japan.
Lefty hitter and strong defensively in the corners. Terrible last year but Jays might take a shot at him as a low risk signing. He’d probably want to go somewhere with a better path to playing time though.
Either way I’d give him a shot over Fowler right now.
I think Fowler is still recovering from surgery and is still at least a couple of months away.
Wasn’t Reese the guy who was doing nefarious personal things to himself in the car during spring training?
Yes he was. He is hard to beat.
His walk up song is “Beat It”.
Now, he was just trying to stay warmed up and loose.
The White Sox wanted someone in LaRussa’s car that even Tony would make sure he wouldn’t pass out next to.
Although the jokes would have been easier if he had been dealt to yankees
Again, love the deal from a fantasy baseball perspective as it opens more AB for Kirk in Toronto as the backup C/part time DH.
Reese was put on the waiver wire last year after spring training, and cleared.
Having an OPS+ of 79 last yr didn’t change his value.
Although I guess that the White Sox would have claimed him this yr.
I guess the Jays wanted a little depth, although Collins won’t get much of a chance to play in the majors.
Nice trade for the Sox. A little confusing for Toronto.
Collins still has upside as a hitter. He’s always had a good eye, goes deep into counts regularly and has some pop.
His problem is he’s not much of a catcher. But you can project him as major league hitter.
If he’s not a C, though, where does he play? Seems the Jays already have better options at 1B/DH. I’ll agree on the patience, but that’s the only part of his game that’s translated.
I don’t know about McGuire, but the way the Jays were able to dangle out Reese as trade bait and reel in the best possible package shows me that the Jays are great master-baiters.
It always about buying the best possible package dangling there at Walmart. It will shock and surprise you. First come, first serve.
Do you know if McGuire’s has a good pop time?
Look at the pic they used! Where’s his right hand?! What’s he doing?! Floggin’ the dolphin, is he?
Man, what a bad choice that all turned out to be on his part. You know his teammates have probably exhausted every joke we’ve made.
Lucky for him, he gets to go through it all over again with new & different teammates!
Damn public clown puncher.
Ducky, you know as well as I do that when you’re in sports and you screw it up, especially publicly, especially as a result of your own sexual depravity, then you earn those jokes & got nothing to say about it.
Only choice he has is to take it like a champ. He forever scores high on the perv-o-meter though.
Oh, for sure, Clip.
Was mostly just pointing out that he’s probably heard all of our jokes by now.
& c’mon, man. A parking lot!? Bro. I remember being…a randy young fella. But a parking lot!? For real? Hey, we’ve all seen a scantily clad little vixen with come hither eyes at Walmart or whatever. But, bro. Keep it together until you get back to your apartment. Ya know?
Mercy. I’m laughing so hard right now my throat hurts. Reminds me of my dog who has recently become romantically involved with his leash.
Hahaha! Yeah, man, right? Like, in your car in the parking lot? Dude, c’mon. At least go to the bathroom or….something, man…lol.
What happened to the days (not long ago) when you just went up and asked that particular vixen out? Guess all those old people are right – texting is ruining these young folks…
All Reese is trying to do is stay ahead of this sticky situation.
Yeah, and was that before or after they cracked down on the sticky substances? I call for an investigation!!!
Reese McGuire is a very solid underrated catcher. Like they wrote, he’s solid defensively, a lefty bat who can get hits. Jays shouldn’t have done this imo.. Would of definitely preferred to have Reese on this team. To me he’s underrated. Jansen and him was a nice tandem while letting Kirk be a DH. If Jansen was struggling could’ve pinch hit with McGuire as well, a lefty bat. Hmm. Don’t like this for the Jays
McGuire doesn’t get enough hits.
And he isn’t better than Jansen or Kirk. And obviously the Jays didn’t want to carry 3 Cs.
Plus Moreno is on his way
Ok, but then why trade for another C?
McGuire is better defensively than Jansen and Kirk. Kirk is a better hitter than McGuire and Jansen just has more pop.
As for Moreno he needs more time. Is giving the full time catching reins to a guy who has never caught in the majors and a team with post season aspirations really the right decision to make? They are reluctant to use Kirk full time now and Shapiro suggested earlier that Kirk might need more seasoning behind the plate. So how is giving Moreno the job, even as a backup, going to be the answer?
Why make definitive statements like McGuire is a better defensive catcher than Jansen and Kirk that you surely can’t back up
Not like the jays don’t have an entire department of scouts, analysts and front office professional being paid to make these decisions.
Well that means you love the stat guys too. so stop on by one of those stat gathers websites and check it out before you call us out. Also not every team gets it right.
@Dusty –
Hey, it sounds like Greg Bird might make the Jay’s from some posts I’m seeing. Is that true?
Is he finally healthy?
Yeah looks that way. He says he’s healthy, he’s looked decent at spring and it’s not to have a LHB back up 1b.
Bar is low for him so who knows? He’ll def get a chance against RHP, maybe he finally puts together a year!
I had completely forgotten that he was with you guys. I had such high hopes for him.
He had a tendency to tear it up in Spring when he was with us. But that swing was always so easy to dream on, man. If he has his base back he should still be able to hit. Obviously, his problem has been staying on the field. But a healthy Greg Bird can hit. No doubt about that.
Not a great trade for the Jays, but an understandable one because the alternative was getting nothing for him when he went to waivers. This is what happens when you raise your floor — your bubble guys get a chance to play elsewhere.
That sounds like the definition of a good trade lol.
The first game he played after the incident they played Michael
Jackson’s just beat it.
The opposing team?
collins had an ops+ of 85 last season in 231 PA
McGuire had an ops+ of 79 last season in 217 PA
collins has options and neither one has a spot on the current roster except as an injury fill in, this opens a bench spot for Bird, and gives the Jays more flexibility with the pitchers they can shuffle through the pen.
sounds good to me
Exactly
I think the change of scenery will be good for Zack. I also think he’ll be a legit MLB hitter if given the chance.
Makes sense for both sides. Only thing I don’t love is having 3 catchers would allow them to get Kirk in to DH a bit more but maybe that will fix itself when Moreno comes up
I would guess they didn’t have a lot to choose from, but taking another catcher with a 40 man spot guaranteed seems a bit of a strange return for Toronto. But maybe this means they’ll select Bird’s contract and Collins will play more 1B in Buffalo? I’d have just targeted an optionable arm. I guess you can’t trade for international bonus pool room under the new CBA? I like how the Jays turned some spring cuts into interesting prospects that way in the past.
imo, collins will never get another mlb at-bat.
This may possibly the worst hitting swap in history
I feel like there is a joke to be had here involving socks.
I’m sure the ‘white Sox’ and McGuire ads will write themselves
A Hahn Wanker jerk downtown in White Sox?
In hindsight, this Reese guy is a real WANKER!
So a back up catcher for a back up catcher with options left.
Ok so be it.
The Sox should have kept James McCann.
Cost was the deciding factor
The cost of letting him go, has been much higher.
It’s the repeat of the John Danks or Mark Buehrle decision and they choose wrong again by picking Grandal over McCann
2 good trades this week for WSox to improve subpar defense. Catchers need not hit that much (eg.Maldonado). Grandal should not be catching in the playoffs.
I dont get this trade by the White Sox. Seems like it just help Toronto with their roster.
It did, but McGuire has had better offensive years, except for last year.
I sweetened the deal my patented HAHN JOB
Nobody can resist it.
Which parking lot in Florida did you two meet up in?
Wonder if he’ll “expose” the weaknesses in the opposition’s defense
I have faith in Shatkins , last couple moves I wonder about. This , tapia for grich , on paper to me , Gausman Kikuchi for ray n Matz downgrade. So is Chapman Semien arguably.
Tapia will be okay, but he is a lot less of a player than Grich. Tapia is weaker defensively than Grich and can’t hit homers but doesn’t go into the tank for months on end like Grich.
Gausman will be a good pitcher for them, a #3.
Kikichi will likely end up bullpen fodder. Lousy signing.
Chapman is quality. He is no Semien at the plate but the Jays did a good job picking him up.
I agree, Mcguire for Collins stinks at the moment. If the Jays can make a hitter out of Collins in the next 2 years it might be okay. My question is why couldn’t they get a decent prospect for Mcguire?
Upgrade over danny jansen. Could even play collins in the of.. Another key stat collins bats left while jansen bats right. In a right heavy lineup collins can really flourish. Brilliant move.
Why carry three catchers?
With the rosters at 28 the extra Catcher probably doesn’t hurt, but once they go back to 26 on May 2nd Collins probably goes to the minors with Jansen/Kirk the Jays catching tandem
Zach Collins is not a MLB catcher he has a chance to be 1B/DH if he can capture his minor league hitting stroke. McGuire is all about defense and framing for the CWS.
collins minor league stroke looked good…but there was NO HITTING attached to it. better to call it his minor league strikeout stroke…if you check the records.
A change of scenery could really benefit both players. I like the trade for the White Sox because if he breaks out they actually got a real catcher. Collins was never gonna stick at catcher and didn’t help the pitching staff but he still has potential to be a decent hitter. Sometimes he can look lost at the plate.
I live in Arizona, I try to see the Sox as much as I can. In spring training, I don’t know if it gets better than seeing Don Cooper, Zack Collins and Carson Fulmer, I’m shocked they’re all gone, Toronto will release Collins in a month
Luke Maile hasn’t been part of the Jays for over two years, silly gooses.
perfect! Now you got a . 180 hitter when Grandal trips on his wallet and tears his ACL
Perfect! Was my exact reaction when I saw Gary Sanchez get traded to the Twins. Every time the White Sox played the Yankees. He literally couldnt even foul a pitch. It was literally Swiiiing and a missss. I’m sure he’s not to happy being in the same division as the White Sox. He’s got to go against Giolito, Cease, Kopech, Lynn and Hendricks lol Sanchez about to lead the league in strikeouts he literally looks lost against Sox pitching. Twins will prob get that .147 Sanchez batted in 2020. They will be lucky to get the .204 he batted last season
Imagine all the worthless hype…. larussa dreams about it when he’s asleep in his car at a greeñ light.