TORONTO — Danny Jansen, the longest-serving Toronto Blue Jays player, became the latest piece of the club’s trade deadline selloff Saturday, sent to the Boston Red Sox for high-A infielder Cutter Coffey, double-A infielder Eddinson Paulino and complex league righty Gilberto Batista.
The catcher, a 16th-round draft pick in 2013 who’s played in 470 games across seven big-league seasons, learned of the deal from a TV ticker upon returning to the clubhouse after a 7-3 win over the Texas Rangers.
He spoke with manager John Schneider afterwards, went back to the field with his family to take a few pictures and then returned to the clubhouse to begin the lengthy process of saying goodbye to teammates, staffers and club employees he’s known for years.
“It’s a lot of mixed emotions,” he said just outside the Blue Jays clubhouse. “I saw it on the TV right away (after the game). Definitely excited. And definitely, you know, I grew up here, became a man here, raised a family. They’ve been here a lot. So it’s just a whole lot of emotions. But I’m excited to go to an atmosphere that I’ve played in as a visitor and to continue on this season.”
The 29-year-old knew a mid-season deal was a possibility entering the season and became likelier as the season began slipping away for the Blue Jays. Like Yusei Kikuchi, he met with GM Ross Atkins earlier this week “to talk about the possibilities.”
“A little bit of insight like that was awesome,” Jansen continued. “It was great of them to ease me a little bit to keep focusing … just trying to control what I control. Obviously, it’s been a strange time this past couple of weeks just with uncertainties and all that.”
His departure is, perhaps, the most emotional turn of this deadline period for the Blue Jays given that he started in the organization as a 17-year-old in the rookie-ball Gulf Coast League, where his first manager in the organization was Schneider.
The two crossed paths multiple times before reuniting in the big leagues in 2019 as Jansen was working to establish himself as the club’s regular catcher.
“This is tough. I met him as a kid, throwing a football with him when he couldn’t reach second base. It’s hard to see him leave, but it’s part of it,” said Schneider, who recalled initially meeting “… a skinny kid from Wisconsin. Really, really just raw, green. He’s always been a grinder. He’s always been kind of blue-collar and it reflects in his play.
“Today’s bittersweet. It’s cool because you see him grow up, you see him turn into a major-league player and, you see him evolve as a player, and then you see him get married and have kids and become a father. I know his parents well. This one’s a little bit different for me because it’s a guy that I’ve known for a really long time. But he’s grown into a really damn good major league player.”
Coffey, a second-round pick in 2022, is the key part of the return for the Blue Jays, who see offensive upside in the 20-year-old who will join high-A Vancouver. He hit .238/.321/.463 with 14 homers in 61 games with Greenville while playing 31 games at third base, 21 at shortstop and two at second base.
Paulino, 22, is hitting .263/.349/.391 in 69 games at double-A Portland and is further along than Coffey but with a lower offensive ceiling. He’s got a chance to play shortstop but is more likely to be utilized at second and third base once he returns from a quad injury.
Batista, 19, has logged 20.2 innings with 23 strikeouts in eight games, five starts, in the Florida Complex League.
For a Blue Jays team trying to repair its decimated foundation, the hope is one of them can eventually be part of the next Blue Jays core, the way Jansen helped turn over the previous group.
For Jansen, it’s off to the Red Sox and the pursuit of a wild-card spot, leaving behind all he’s known in professional baseball.
“Speaking with my wife recently, she told me, like, ‘Hey, enjoy every moment, you never know.’ And I truly believe that’s it, you never know,” said Jansen. “I like to look at it as, you never know when it could be your last game. So try to enjoy every moment with any group that I’m playing with, especially the guys I played with for a long time here. Just go out there, compete, have fun and enjoy it.”
