The Toronto Blue Jays remain the 24th ranked farm system in Major League Baseball, post-trade deadline. The Jays were also ranked in the same spot this preseason. Needless to say the, trade deadline transactions did not move the rankings further up the rankings when combined with the other internal prospects (injuries, poor performance, etc). Once again, Toronto has holes in their prospect pool, leading with the catcher position.

The Blue Jays traded starting catcher Danny Jansen to the divisional rival Boston Red Sox. In return they received two infielders (Cutter Coffey and Eddinson Paulino) and a right-handed pitcher (Gilberto Batista). Despite the previous injury history, when healthy, Jansen showed qualities on both sides of the ball.

This trade left Alejandro Kirk the lone wolf, the first string back-stop for the Blue Jays. Second to Kirk is Brian Serven, who has spent most of the campaign in triple-A Buffalo. Currently in the Blue Jays farm system, there are no note-worthy catching pieces in sight of development within the near future – there are zero ranked catchers on the current MLB Pipeline top 30 list.

Since Toronto dealt their top catching prospect, Gabriel Moreno, the position has been held by Kirk and Jansen. The future of the position has not been prioritized and this is one position the Blue Jays should have capitalized on this past trade deadline outside of Jacob Sharp.

This would have arguably been the biggest ask of the three prospects listed, as Kyle Teel is a stellar prospect, ranking third on the Red Sox top 30 prospect list. The Virginia product was a first-round draft pick in 2023 by Boston. He’s a left handed hitting back-stop with a contact approach and streaky power. Teel is a workhorse behind the dish and shows athleticism with a good arm.

Toronto sent their starting catcher to the Red Sox, who added reinforcements to assist with their playoff journey. The Jays could have added some more goodies to their loot bag, in hopes of getting a first rounder in return.

Kevin Kiermaier isn’t exactly the best trading piece to demand valuable return, but he was good enough for the Dodgers to send Ryan Yarbrough back to Toronto – a trade off of expiring one-year deals. Considering the catcher need in the farm system, the Jays could have pooled together some minor leaguers in hopes of landing Diego Cartaya, who slots in at #16 on the Dodgers prospect rankings

Cartaya was signed by the Dodgers in the 2018 international signing period out of Venezuela. He is expected to reach the show in 2025, which would have been perfect for the Jays, considering his development status.

He has noticeable power with the ability to be offensively dependable, however some flaws need to be ironed out. His status behind the dish is improving for the better and there is strong potential defensively. His arm scales a 60 on the 20-80 measurement.

Cartaya could have been an attainable piece at the trade deadline if the Jays dipped into other areas of their prospect pool to sweeten the deal.

The Blue Jays brought in Justin Turner to add juice to their lineup this season. His performance drew attention from the Mariners, who are competing for a Wild Card spot this season. In return for Turner,  Seattle sent back RJ Schreck. Schreck is an outfield prospect who ranked 29th on the Mariners top prospect rankings.

Toronto could have aimed for the stars, or at least 22 spots higher. Harry Ford is ranked seventh in the Mariners organization – a first round selection of the Mariners back in 2021.

He currently plays in double-A, as he’s quickly climbed the ranks. Ford’s athleticism stands out, and adds to his tools behind the dish. His bat is coming around as he’s finding his groove and unlocking power at the dish. Ford gets on base and can hold himself defensively. His value, ranking, and importance to the club would have needed more than Turner to get the job done but the Blue Jays could have spared one or two more more prospects to get this deal done.