Another former Toronto Blue Jay agreed to a deal.

On Friday afternoon, former Blue Jay catcher Danny Jansen signed a one-year, $8.5 million deal with the Tampa Bay Rays.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
Free-agent catcher Danny Jansen and the Tampa Bay Rays are in agreement on a one-year, $8.5 million contract, pending physical, according to sources familiar with the deal. 
Jansen had multi-year offers, but chose to bet on himself coming off a down season, and goes to a place…
&mdash; Robert Murray (@ByRobertMurray) <a href="https://twitter.com/ByRobertMurray/status/1865096268009329094?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 6, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Jansen, 29, was selected in the 16th round of the 2013 draft by the Blue Jays out of high school. For parts of five minor league seasons, he rose to become a top 100 prospect in baseball, before making his Major League Baseball debut in 2018.
The catcher’s full-season debut came in 2019, where he slashed .207/.278/.360 with 13 home runs in 384 plate appearances, finishing as a finalist for the American League Gold Glove award for the position.
Fast forward to 2022, and Jansen was statistically the Blue Jays’ best hitter, a minimum of 200 plate appearances. That season, he slashed .260/.339/.516 with 15 home runs, a career-high at the time, in 248 plate appearances for a 141 wRC+ and a 2.7 fWAR.
Jansen was an above-average hitter in 2023 as well, as he slashed .228/.312/.474 with a career-best 17 home runs in 301 plate appearances for a 115 wRC+ and a 1.9 fWAR.
His 2024 season didn’t go nearly as well though, as he slashed .212/.303/.369 with six home runs in 228 plate appearances with the Jays. Before the trade deadline, he was traded to Toronto’s American League East division rivals, the Boston Red Sox, in exchange for Gilberto Batista, Cutter Coffey, and Eddinson Paulino.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
OFFICIAL: We’ve acquired INF Cutter Coffey, INF Eddinson Paulino, and RHP Gilberto Batista from the Red Sox in exchange for C Danny Jansen. 
Welcome to our <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BlueJays?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BlueJays</a> family! <a href="https://t.co/pVbWJNkA7P">pic.twitter.com/pVbWJNkA7P</a>
&mdash; Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) <a href="https://twitter.com/BlueJays/status/1817334191782339022?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 27, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
With this contract, Jansen is betting on himself having a bounce-back year. His stats in Tampa Bay at Tropicana Field aren’t great, as he’s slashing .128/.242/.267 with three home runs in 99 plate appearances. However, the Rays won’t play at Tropicana Field this upcoming season as Hurricane Helene in late September destroyed its roof.
Either way, best of luck to Danny Jansen this upcoming season, even if he’s on the Blue Jays’ division rivals.
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As always, you can follow me on Bluesky @ryleydelaney.bsky.social.
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Another former Toronto Blue Jay agreed to a deal.



On Friday afternoon, former Blue Jay catcher Danny Jansen signed a one-year, $8.5 million deal with the Tampa Bay Rays.

https://twitter.com/ByRobertMurray/status/1865096268009329094

Jansen, 29, was selected in the 16th round of the 2013 draft by the Blue Jays out of high school. For parts of five minor league seasons, he rose to become a top 100 prospect in baseball, before making his Major League Baseball debut in 2018.

The catcher’s full-season debut came in 2019, where he slashed .207/.278/.360 with 13 home runs in 384 plate appearances, finishing as a finalist for the American League Gold Glove award for the position.

Fast forward to 2022, and Jansen was statistically the Blue Jays’ best hitter, a minimum of 200 plate appearances. That season, he slashed .260/.339/.516 with 15 home runs, a career-high at the time, in 248 plate appearances for a 141 wRC+ and a 2.7 fWAR.

Jansen was an above-average hitter in 2023 as well, as he slashed .228/.312/.474 with a career-best 17 home runs in 301 plate appearances for a 115 wRC+ and a 1.9 fWAR.

His 2024 season didn’t go nearly as well though, as he slashed .212/.303/.369 with six home runs in 228 plate appearances with the Jays. Before the trade deadline, he was traded to Toronto’s American League East division rivals, the Boston Red Sox, in exchange for Gilberto Batista, Cutter Coffey, and Eddinson Paulino.

https://twitter.com/BlueJays/status/1817334191782339022

With this contract, Jansen is betting on himself having a bounce-back year. His stats in Tampa Bay at Tropicana Field aren’t great, as he’s slashing .128/.242/.267 with three home runs in 99 plate appearances. However, the Rays won’t play at Tropicana Field this upcoming season as Hurricane Helene in late September destroyed its roof.

Either way, best of luck to Danny Jansen this upcoming season, even if he’s on the Blue Jays’ division rivals.

<hr />

As always, you can follow me on Bluesky @ryleydelaney.bsky.social.

<hr />

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<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-80711 aligncenter" src="https://publish.bluejaysnation.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2099/08/BJN-Article.png" alt="" width="727" height="404" />

Black Friday is HERE, Nation Citizens! 🏒 Score 15% off all your favorites, including the brand-new "My City" Collection and fresh drops you won’t want to miss. Whether you’re gifting a die-hard fan or upgrading your own game-day fit, Nation Gear has you covered. Spend over $200, and enjoy free shipping, too! 🛍️ But hurry—this one-week-only deal is live now! Shop exclusively at nationgear.ca and make this holiday season unforgettable!

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