Jays Trade Wagner

John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images

This one surprises me, though the Jays needed a catching prospect.

They sent Will Wagner to the Padres, for Double-A catcher Brandon Valenzuela. Valenzuela has a bit of power, with 12 home runs in 97 games in the minors. The scouting report describes a good athletic catcher with a decent arm. He’s not going to take Kirk’s job, but could be a backup in a year or two. He’s 24.

Wagner came to us in trade for Yusei Kikuchi last year. This year, he’s hitting .237/.336/.298 in 40 games. He’s had a good run

since being called back up to the team at the end of June, hitting .291/.391/.382 in 64 PA. He turned 27 two days ago.

We have several good left-handed hitting prospects, and Wagner was behind a number of them.

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