Blue Jays sign Dominican teenage catcher Isay Veras

The Toronto Blue Jays organization has finalized another international amateur signing.

According to the club’s transaction log, they’ve signed switch-hitting Dominican catcher Isay Veras to a minor-league contract, joining the franchise’s 2025 class of international prospect signees. The window for amateur free agents to sign closes on Dec. 15.

This deal marks the second reported international signing in as many days, following Thursday’s reported deal with Cuban right-hander Alieski Torres. Toronto initially opened this year’s signing pool with $6,261,600 to spend on free agents. But they received an extra $2 million courtesy of last off-season’s Myles Straw trade with the Cleveland Guardians — funds they’ve since reinvested after missing out on Japan’s Roki Sasaki.

Veras, who’ll turn 18 in April, has spent the last two seasons in MLB’s Amateur Scouting League in the Dominican Republic. The 5-foot-9, 180-pound backstop’s 2025 stats aren’t listed in the league’s database, but they are for the ’24 campaign. In 10 games, he went 3-for-19 (.158) with six RBIs and recorded more walks (11) than strikeouts (four). He also swiped a pair of bases in three stealing attempts.

That hitter profile, while supported by a tiny sample size of results, should fit seamlessly into the organization’s high on-base, low-strikeout philosophy.

Looking ahead to 2026, Veras will likely report to the Blue Jays’ Dominican Summer League before eventually joining the franchise stateside in Dunedin, Fla.