MLB Trade Grades: Red Sox acquire catcher depth from the Blue Jays

The 2024 MLB trade deadline has been incredibly chaotic already and we still have three more days before the actual deadline day. The biggest news of the year broke on Saturday afternoon when the Miami Marlins sent their star utility man to the Bronx to join Aaron Judge and Juan Soto at the top of the Yankees lineup.

The Yankees 'biggest rivals, the Boston Red Sox, couldn't let New York have all the fun. They quickly made a deal of their own, acquiring catcher Danny Jansen from the Toronto Blue Jays. Jansen is set to be a free agent at the end of the season.

(For more news and rumors, check out MLB Insider Robert Murray’s work on The Baseball Insiders podcast, and join the discord to get the inside scoop as we near the July 30 MLB trade deadline.)

MLB Trade Grades: Blue Jays continue fire sale by sending Jansen to Boston

Here is the full trade:

Jansen, 29, got off to a hot start to begin 2024. Through June 2nd, the catcher was slashing .295/.375/.533 with five home runs and an OPS over .900. It looked as though he was having a true breakout season for the Blue Jays. But since that day, he's hit .124 with 1 home run and 5 RBIs in 29 games. Boston is likely looking to turn the catcher's season back around as a depth piece after acquiring him.

Coffey, 20, is currently slashing .238/.321/.463 with 14 home runs, 12 doubles and 8 stolen bases at High-A this season. The 2022 second round pick has been impressive this season, though he could use work at getting on base. The power showcase from the 20-year-old has been quite impressive though. He's also versatile across the infield on defense.

Paulino, 22, is slashing .263.349.391 in Double-A this season. The infielder has been impressive since making his pro ball debut in 2019, putting up a career OPS near .800. He has some pretty good tools including speed that's allowed him to steal over 20 bases in 2022 and 2023. He also provides defensive versatility across the infield.

Jansen is a huge upgrade over the Red Sox backup catcher Reese McGuire. Jansen is worth an elite 11 blocks above average, per Baseball Savant.

The Blue Jays were certain to trade Jansen, as their front office has been adamant that they would try to deal all their expiring contracts before attempting to compete in 2025. They got a good-sized haul for their catcher, despite his horrendous stretch of a few months.

Red Sox trade grade: C+

Blue Jays trade grade: B+