Is the Blue Jays’ backup catcher situation going to be a problem this season?

Not that Spring Training stats matter, but Heineman is also the only non-Kirk catcher with a spring average over .150 or OPS over .400 right now. As things stand right now, I’d have my money on the magician to earn the backup job. Regardless of who the Blue Jays pick from that crop, it’s pretty clear they aren’t going to have a stud at backup catcher. But, does that matter?

Do You Need A Good Backup Catcher?

Backup catcher is an oft-forgotten position. They rarely play much — rarely in the playoffs — and aren’t expected to be good at both offense and defense. Former Blue Jay and Twins manager Paul Molitor once said if backup catchers can take care of things behind the plate and be a good clubhouse person, “that’ll get you work for a long time.” But, in 2025, is minimal value still accepted from the position?

Last year, 10 of the 12 teams that made the MLB postseason had a backup catcher play at least 50 games. As well, nine of 12 teams’ backup catchers posted at least 0.5 WAR (Austin Hedges in Cleveland, Garrett Stubs with Philly, and Eric Haase with Milwaukee were the three exceptions).

I see no reason why Heineman can’t be a Hedges or Stubbs — a defence-first guy with unquantifiable locker room value. But, those guys were the worst backup catchers among all playoff teams last year, and closer to the exceptions to the rule.

The best teams in baseball had real contributions from the backup catcher last year. Victor Caratini posted 1.3 WAR for the Astros, Austin Barnes 0.7 with Los Angeles, and even in a down year Jose Trevino had 0.6 WAR for the Yankees. Those all seem like unattainably high marks for Toronto’s current options. Maybe someone shocks the world and posts a half-win for the Jays this year, but it sure looks like Alejandro Kirk will need to do more than his part.

Can Kirk Carry The Load?

Even if you accept that the Blue Jays aren’t going to get a lot of production from their backup catcher this year, that’s not the biggest concern. With a sub-par C2 option, the 2025 Jays are going to ask a lot from Alejandro Kirk this year and even next season. Toronto’s 26-year-old backstop has played over 100 games in each of the last three seasons (seems good!), but the truth is a lot of that has come at the DH position. Kirk has never caught more than 89 games in a season at the MLB level.

If you look at the teams with the ‘worst’ C2 production last year (Guardians, Brewers, Phillies), two of those teams had superstar backstops (Milwaukee’s William Contreras and Philly’s JT Realmuto). Realmuto caught 99 games last year and has led the NL in games caught three times. Contreras had 120 games caught in 2024. You can afford a subpar backup C when you’ve got a stud at starter.

Maybe Kirk is ready to take that workload jump. He’s in his prime at age 26 and has had just two IL stints in his five-year MLB career. But this is also a guy the Jays have intentionally suppressed the catching workload of in the past. We’ve also seen his offense fall off as the catching time rose the last two years. Pushing the days behind the plate even higher is a risky game for a team that desperately needs offense. With no other legit options at catcher, the Jays don’t really have a choice, though.

A Chance To Improve

Every year we see an end-of-spring catcher trade (like Toronto acquiring Zack Collins in early 2022). Last year Curt Casali was released from his minor-league deal with the Marlins at the end of spring before going on to put up 0.3 WAR in 41 games with the Giants. Heck, even established vets like Yasmani Grandal, James McCann, and Yan Gomes are all still free agents.

Guys like Heineman and Bethancourt are much better suited for third-string catching options, where they will surely get the call to contribute in Toronto at some point. But, pushing them down into those roles would require a new face with Toronto. There’s still time to make it happen.