The Blue Jays have signed catcher Erik Kratz to a minor league deal.
#BlueJays add catching depth with minor-league deal for Erik Kratz. Details here with @bnicholsonsmith https://t.co/h9dbUHE3hb
— Shi Davidi (@ShiDavidi) July 28, 2016
Kratz is a familiar name to Jays fans, having spent roughly half a season with the team in 2014. He was then traded with Liam Hendriks to the Royals for Danny Valencia. Kratz was also originally drafted by the Jays in the 29th round in 2002, though he didn’t make his major league debut until 2010 with the Phillies, when he was 30. Kratz has spent parts of seven seasons in the major leagues, serving exclusively as a backup catcher. His career slash line of .200/.248/.362 suggests that a reserve role is his ceiling, which is perfectly fine for a Jays team that has a well-entrenched starter.
Kratz will likely be minor league depth for the Jays, replacing Tony Sanchez, who was released by the Bisons in a corresponding move. The well-travelled catcher has bounced around even more than usual this season: He actually signed with the Padres, was traded to the Astros before the season started, and spent time with the Angels and the Pirates before being released in June. It’s hard to see him getting major league time barring an injury, even with Josh Thole hitting abysmally as the backup to Russell Martin. Kratz’s slash line this season is even worse at .094/.105/.153. Even Ryan Goins thinks that’s bad.
All that said, Kratz isn’t here to hit. He’s a catcher with big-league experience, which is not something the Jays could say about A.J Jimenez, who is also catching in Buffalo. Jays fans might hope he can catch the knuckleball and supplant Josh Thole, but he’s never been a regular knuckleball catcher through his career, and 36 seems like a strange time to start (unless he’s looking to extend said career). While he hasn’t caught a knuckleball this season, he did throw one: he’s had two mop-up appearances this season, even striking out Brandon Belt in one against the Giants, which you can see here.
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