"The Blue Jays' catching depth isn't quite as deep as it used to be after trading away Danny Jansen and Gabriel Moreno over the course of past few seasons. That bet ended up paying off for Toronto as the team saw its heights with a catching tandem of Alejandro Kirk and Tyler Heineman in 2025. Both catchers played well, but a large part of the Blue Jays' success on the catching side came from Kirk excellently executing every aspect of his position, from framing to offence. The fact that the Blue Jays always put Kirk in the lineup for almost the entirety of the 2025 postseason run was a testament to their faith in the main catcher."
"Interestingly, longtime former Philadelphia Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto is testing his free agency this winter, a familiar name for Jays fans on the offseason forefront. Back in the 2020/2021 offseason, the Blue Jays were interested in the catcher, even with Jansen and Kirk being the go-to guys behind the plate. This was the same offseason where the Jays added George Springer and Marcus Semien, spending big on the free agent front a year after they added Hyun Jin Ryu, and catching was one area the front office was looking to improve as well, even with the established duo on the big league roster."
"The Jays had depth behind the plate at the time (Moreno was coming up the pipeline), and adding Realmuto at the time would mean the club could move some of these players to address other areas on the roster, similar to how the Jays ended up trading Moreno to the desert and Jansen to Boston. That offseason signing didn't pan out, as Realmuto signed a five-year deal with the Phillies and is now a free agent once again, albeit in a different space compared to his last go-around in free agency."
Toronto traded Danny Jansen and Gabriel Moreno in prior seasons, reducing catching depth but gaining a high-performing tandem of Alejandro Kirk and Tyler Heineman in 2025. Alejandro Kirk excelled at framing and offense and started nearly every game during the 2025 postseason run. J.T. Realmuto is a free agent in the 2025-26 winter and had previously drawn Blue Jays interest in the 2020–2021 offseason when Toronto also signed George Springer and Marcus Semien. The Jays once had catching depth with Moreno near the majors, and adding Realmuto then could have enabled trades to address other roster needs. Realmuto's 2025 slash line was .257/.315/.384 with 12 home runs and 52 RBIs in 550 plate appearances.
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