Toronto Blue Jays & Pittsburgh Pirates Complete Trade


The Toronto Blue Jays have acquired journeyman catcher Tyler Heineman from the Pittsburgh Pirates in exchange for minor league infielder Vinny Capra.

The trade came after the Pirates designated Heineman for assignment to make room for right-handed relief pitcher Cody Bolton.

Heineman, who has a career batting line of .210/.276/.269 in the major leagues, could potentially provide depth at the catcher position or serve as a backup player for the Blue Jays, however, with team already rostering Danny Jansen and Alejandro Kirk, it's unlikely.

This acquisition will give the Blue Jays more options at the catcher position and provide additional depth in case either Kirk or Jansen gets injured and requires time on the injured list.

Heineman had appeared in 62 games last year between the Pirates and the Blue Jays, with nine RBIs and 16 runs scored. It's expected that Heineman will join the Blue Jays' Triple-A affiliate team in Buffalo to provide depth within the organization.

Vinny Capra, a 26-year-old infielder, holds a .263/.347/.393 triple-slash line, with 20 home runs, 147 RBIs, 34 stolen bases, and 161 runs scored across 327 minor league games.

He only has five major-league at-bats.

Interestingly, the Blue Jays chose to trade for Heineman to avoid losing him to a waiver claim, which seemed unlikely anyways. It will be interesting to see how the team utilizes Heineman moving forward and if he can make an impact on their roster. Photo Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports