The Blue Jays have claimed catcher Beau Taylor off waivers from the Athletics, per a club announcement. He’ll begin his tenure with the Toronto organization at Triple-A.
Taylor was likely targeted to bolster the Jays’ catching depth. The team seems likely to continue utilizing Danny Jansen and Reese McGuire at the major-league level for the duration of the present season, barring injury.
Though it’s possible Taylor could end up losing his 40-man roster spot at some point, he may also be retained and given a shot to compete in spring camp next year. The 29-year-old can still be optioned and has produced big offensive numbers this year at Triple-A, with a .257/.408/.461 batting line in 240 plate appearances.
bigdaddyt
Why?
jdgoat
Cornering the Bo/Beau market.
ellisburks
Ummm…catching depth is never a bad thing.
warren r.
Because Scranton has slipped significantly, and the Bisons suddenly find themselves in contention for winning the IL North. Beau Taylor (OPS .869) will be a significant offensive upgrade over Patrick Cantwell (OPS .608).
And it’s not just the division race…. this weekend in particular is critical because they’ve got a 3-game series against one of the two teams ahead of them in the wildcard standings.
infractor
Very rarely do you see the side of the minor league team portrayed as a competitive professional team vice just a farm for the big club. It’s good to remember that the organization wants these other teams to do well wherever possible, too.
nelson_c
this has Carson Cistulli written all over it
oaklandfan22
Best of luck to Beau!
arc89
I rather have Taylor than Hermanson. Taylor has a decent bat.
athleticsnchill
Well, it’s Herrmann, but I’d rather have Heim or Murphy than either of them.
jimmertee
The BlueJays are in a position to claim every player avialable if they wish. They no longer have much AAA depth since most elite players have been called up.
Remember the Jays have very few scouts looking at other clubs minor league systems. Most of the scouting is done by analytics. That means they likely look at the numbers and make a decision to claim someone then look at them in person after that. At this point in time the Jays can afford to do that. If Shapiro honors his word, once the Jays fill out the MLB roster this offseason with free agents and trades, they won’t be likely be claiming as much minor league inventory.
Down with OBP
“Most of the scouting [of minor league systems] is done by analytics”.
Please cite sources.
jimmertee
It is well known in baseball circles and also the Toronto media which, I beleive, only one has brought it forward in an article.
Down with OBP
Please cite sources that you are personally in “baseball circles”
infractor
So it’s well known but no one speaks of it.
Cool.
Strike Four
Nope jimmertee, you are lying, straight up.
mlb.com/bluejays/team/front-office-directory
Pretty sure anyone could find the list of these scouts on twitter and ask them if they go to games, genius.
firegibby
No he’s right it’s known here.
bigdaddyt
Shapiro hasn’t said he’s spending money this winter he’s actually been saying the opposite that at the right time they will spend the money but they aren’t gonna be there yet this year. He and Atkins will be all over the cheap free agent flyers Like shoemaker again this offseason
jimmertee
In the Shapiro latest presser: “We feel a sense of urgency to win,” he said. “We’re doing everything humanly possible to push that envelope. I don’t like not winning.”
“So the bulk of my conversations to date (with Rogers execs) have been focused on what’s the plan to get back to winning and how fast can that happen.”
“When you’re in a down cycle, not losing money is the most important thing.”
There you have it. Shapiro and his spin.
I riterate. The Rogers and BlueJays goals are money and not winning. He did make one comment in another part of the presser about buying starting pitchers in FA with our “resources”. Whatever than means. Terrible leadership for fans who want to win now. Watch the Yankees and Bosox instead. They spend every year to their max.
athleticsnchill
The Rogers and Blue Jays were just sitting in the top 5-10 of payroll and trying their hardest to win just 2 years ago, and the team didn’t age well and started falling apart.
Now they’ve got potentially the most talented position player prospects in baseball and people like you are complaining. I don’t get it.
its_happening
Do you REALLY believe they were trying their “hardest” to win? From what I remember the Blue Jays refused to go after A players and splurged on B and C level players. Nothing like sprinkling $35 mil combined on 3 DHs while pretending to “contend”. Yep, give a 34 year old Morales a 3-year deal as a one-dimensional player. Yep, give Pearce a two-year deal to play outfield. Yep, bail Bautista out with a thank you contract for $17.5-mil when he needed to DH. Nah, make a 36 turning 37 year old play everyday in RF.
They didn’t try. They plotted to blow up the team. And they waited too long at that.
jimmertee
Yup werealljustguests. I really liked the Mat Latos signing.
Ducey
Nothing to get. Jimmertree is a full time crank. Everything the Jays do or don’t do is evidence of their incompetence. If they would have signed Harper that would mean they overspent and are idiots. If they don’t sign him then they won’t spend the money. If there is nothing to complain about he will make up facts. Just ignore him.
its_happening
Please Ducey….at least Bryce is a superstar who’d sell tickets. Extend Randal Grichuk? Is he really an A player to you? Maybe if your first name is Rob, sure. That said Bryce wasn’t a signing to make since they were/are clearly not prepared to contend.
Taejonguy
$10 million a year for an everyday rightfielder is, I believe, under league average
mikevm3
The New Mayor of New Hampshire.
MikeyHammer
Was his dad a former player ?
firegibby
Lol
its_happening
Promoting Riley Adams from New Hampshire to Buffalo too much to handle? Yes, depth. Sure. Ok.
Ducey
Riley has not earned a call up to AAA. He only has 69 games in AA, is hitting .243, has K’d 36 % of his AB’s and is a year younger than the average AA player. He is best served staying right where he is.
jdgoat
There’s only like two weeks left in the minor league season anyways. This is clearly a depth move and probably indicates Maile’s time is done.
its_happening
Ah yes, best served to be held back. Cool. Instead the Jays pick up a catcher who’s allowed 489 stolen bases in his catching career (in the minors) while throwing out 198. Beau Taylor is best served playing in Japan or Korea.
Taejonguy
organizational depth. the Jay’s are deep in minor league prospects at Catcher
Alex Snow
That’s 29%, right in line with the league average of 28%. I don’t see the problem with that.
Strike Four
Taylors going to be the next guy to Muncy the A’s, calling it now. He always gets on base and is good defensively. Really terrible FOing to think Phegley and Hermann and better guys to have on the 40-man than Garneau and Taylor are. Beane is an idiot these days.
athleticsnchill
Phegley and Herrmann both have a major league track record. It isn’t a great track record, but it’s a track record. Garneau and Taylor don’t have a major league track record, unless you look at all the teams Garneau has played for and never been able to stick with because literally no one sees him as a competent backstop. Clearly every FO is incompetent then.
I like Beau Taylor, but he’s not even a sleeper guy. He’s a guy that will get on base and hit for no power, but he’ll call a good game behind the plate. That’s really about it, and if he does become anything no one could have possibly seen it coming. He’s always been a catcher that can’t hit and can’t hit for power in the minors, and he’s going to stay that way. Even Muncy could hit in the minors, he just had so many holes in his swing that major league pitchers exposed that he had to spend a season in Mexico completely changing his swing.