With Alejandro Kirk coming off the injured list and Brandon Valenzuela playing well, the Blue Jays did not need a third catcher. As a result, they opted to trade Tyler Heineman to the Los Angeles Angels for cash, doing so on Wednesday.
The 34-year-old played in parts of the last five seasons with Toronto. He was more of a defense-first catcher, as the hitting numbers were lackluster.
Through 33 games in 2026, Heineman registered a fielding run value of 7 (h/t Baseball Savant). That ranks above the 90th percentile, despite his lack of playing time.
After the news of the trade on Wednesday, Heineman posted a goodbye on Instagram. He thanked his Blue Jays teammates, fans, front office, medical staff and training staff.
Blue Jays players such as Addison Barger and Myles Straw left comments on the post. The catcher was well-liked in the clubhouse.
The heartfelt message also resonated with superstar first basemanVladimir Guerrero Jr. He reacted by dropping a like on the post in support of Heineman.
Guerrero appears six times throughout the 14-slide post.
© Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
Before the final result of Thursday’s game versus the Boston Red Sox, Toronto is 36-38 on the season. The club is 10 games back of the first-place New York Yankees in the American League East.
Injuries have been a major hindrance, but Guerrero Jr.’s performance has left some to be desired. In 71 games this season, he is slashing .280/.368/.374 with a .742 OPS. He has four home runs and 30 RBIs.
Thursday’s home run in Boston was the slugger’s first since May 17 against the Detroit Tigers. His hitting will need to be much better if the Blue Jays are to make another October run.
The team will next travel to Wrigley Field for a weekend set versus the Chicago Cubs. Kevin Gausman will get the start in the opener, Friday at 2:20 p.m. EDT.
