Danny Jansen has spent the entirety of his seven seasons in the big leagues playing in the American League East.
And the veteran catcher getting traded on Saturday won’t change that.
It won’t be easy for Jansen to say goodbye to the Toronto Blue Jays even after they shipped him to the Boston Red Sox for three prospects. The Blue Jays are the only organization Jansen has ever known with him being a 2013 draft pick of the franchise.
“A lot of mixed emotions,” Jansen told reporters following his final game with the Blue Jays, per The Boston Globe’s Pete Abraham. “It’s an atmosphere I’ve played in as a visitor, definitely excited. … It’s going to be a little different for sure but I’m ready for the next chapter … I’m going to be part of a good organization.”
The Blue Jays were in the middle of a 7-3 win over the Toronto Rangers on Saturday when they parted ways with Jansen. Jansen told reporters he found out he got traded from seeing the news on a clubhouse TV, according to Sportsnet’s Arden Zwelling.
Jansen, who is batting just .212 on the season with six home runs and 18 RBIs in 61 games, became expendable with the Blue Jays taking a sellers approach at the deadline. Toronto sits in last place in the AL East.
“The position I was in this year, definitely proud to be in it and grateful,” Jansen told reporters, per Sportsnet. “Knowing where the team is and seeing some moves happen, I was just controlling what I was controlling and if it happened it happened and today it happened.”
Jansen certainly is familiar with the Red Sox. He played in 52 career games against Boston — 30 of those games came at Fenway Park — and posted a .255 batting average with nine home runs and 30 RBIs.
It’s unknown exactly what Jansen’s role will be with the Red Sox since they already have two catchers in Connor Wong and Reese McGuire on the roster.
