April 4, 2022

By Kevin Glew

Canadian Baseball Network

The Toronto Blue Jays have dealt catcher Reese McGuire to the Chicago White Sox for fellow backstop Zack Collins.

The club announced the transaction after their 7-5 win over the New York Yankees in Grapefruit League action on Sunday.

McGuire, who was out of minor league options, spent parts of four seasons with the Blue Jays after being acquired from the Pittsburgh Pirates with Francisco Liriano and Harold Ramirez for Drew Hutchison on August 1, 2016. The 27-year-old, left-handed hitter saw his most action with the Blue Jays last season when he batted .253 with a home run and 10 RBIs in 78 games.

Collins, also a 27-year-old left-handed hitting catcher, but with minor league options, joins the Blue Jays with parts of three big league seasons under his belt. In 2021 with the White Sox, he batted .210 with four home runs and 26 RBIs in 78 games. He was a first-round pick of the White Sox in 2016 and is likely to begin the season in triple-A.

Blue Jays reassign Castro to minor league camp

In other roster news, the Blue Jays reassigned reliever Anthony Castro to minor league camp on Sunday.

The right-hander posted a 4.74 ERA in 24 relief appearances with the Blue Jays last season, striking out 32 batters in 24 2/3 innings.

But the 26-year-old righty had been hit hard this spring, registering a 14.54 ERA in four appearances. He allowed three home runs and seven earned runs in 4 1/3 innings.