The Blue Jays Have A Back-Up Catcher Problem. Enter Alex Avila?
At this point in his career it's probably asking too much to expect Russell Martin to appear in 120+ games and provide a high level of production. This isn't to say Martin cannot still be a valuable piece of this Blue Jays squad, he just needs a caddy that will allow him more rest so he can perform at his peak level. Martin is still a well above average catcher. Despite what looked like a poor season to many, he produced 2.96 fWAR/600 vs. the league catcher average of 1.84.
In 2017 John Gibbons didn't have a viable back-up catcher and had to rely on Luke Maile, Miguel Montero, Raffy Lopez, Jarrod Saltalamcchia and Mike Ohlman to fill in for games when Martin was not available. That group combined for a -1.5 fWAR, nearly erasing all of the 1.8 fWAR Martin contributed. As a result, only the Padres and Nationals received less value from their catchers last year.
Alex Avila is a name that continues to pop up on Jays fans' wish lists. Avila is coming off a season where he produced a 124 wrc+ and 2.5 fWAR. The fact that he is a left handed bat also makes him an ideal partner for the right handed hitting Martin.
Yes, Avila is a great match for the Blue Jays, but does that mean the Blue Jays are a great match for Avila? Probably not. The Arizona Diamondbacks and Milwaukee Brewers both figure to be contenders this season and both have unsettled catching situations. If Avila had to choose between part-time play in Toronto and full-time duty in Arizona or Milwaukee it seems like a pretty easy choice. If Avila's price comes down the Phillies would likely also show some interest and nearly every contender would have interest in his services as a back-up.
MLBTraderumors projects Avila to receive a 2 year $16MM contract. Even if that number comes down a bit it means he would take up nearly half of the Blue Jays' remaining budget. With needs in the bullpen and rotation still to be addressed it's probably not the best course of action to devote so much money to a part-time need.
Furthermore, if Avila is indeed receiving two year offers, it would mean he would still be around when either Reese McGuire or Danny Jansen are ready to see MLB playing time. One of those players could even be ready at some point in 2018. Blocking them isn't the biggest concern but it is a factor worth noting.
Avila would be an excellent solution to the Blue Jays back-up problem but unfortunately also an unlikely one. The Jays will probably head into the season either hoping to get more from Luke Maile's bat or sign a low level free agent to a cheap one year contract and then hope that later in the summer one of the prospects proves they are ready to see time in the majors and be mentored by Martin. The Jays could also go the trade route and perhaps if the Diamondbacks snag one of the free agent catchers they would be willing to make a deal for one of the Jays' 4th outfield types, say Ezequiel Carrera.
There is no easy solution to the Blue Jays back-up catcher issue, but this front office has shown they are willing to be creative this offseason in order to fill the holes in the roster.
