January 20, 2020

By Andrew Hendriks

Canadian Baseball Network

TORONTO -- The Toronto Blue Jays added both depth and big-league experience behind the plate on Sunday, inking Caleb Joseph to a minor league deal that comes with an invite to spring training.

Sportsnet’s Jamie Campbell was the first to report the deal.

Joseph, 33, has appeared in parts of six MLB campaigns and has slashed .223/.270/.350 in 422 games dating back to his rookie campaign with the Baltimore Orioles in 2010.

An above-average defender, Joesph is known for his exceptional pitch framing abilities and has thrown out 84 of 264 would-be base stealers (32%) at the big league level.

The 6-foot-3 Nashville native spent the majority of 2019 in the minors, hitting .265 with an OPS of .806 across 179 plate appearances with triple-A Reno last year.

With Danny Jansen and Reese McGuire ticketed to share the big league catching duties for the Blue Jays, look for Joseph to start the year in triple-A Buffalo and serve as a potential call-up option.

Blue Jays also re-sign Cantwell

In addition to formally announcing the Joesph deal, Toronto also added fellow catcher Patrick Cantwell back into the fold on Monday afternoon.

Cantwell, 29, has spent all but 11 of his 416 appearances in professional baseball at the minor league level.

A third-round draft pick of the Texas Rangers in 2012, the 6-foot-2 native of West Islip, N.Y., has slashed .242/.324/.320 over 1609 plate appearances in pro ball, the majority of which have come at the double-A level.

Acquired by the Blue Jays for cash in May of 2017, Cantwell elected free agency on November 4 and will return to triple- Buffalo after posting an OPS of .592 over 22 games with the Herd in 2019.

- Follow Andrew Hendriks on Twitter (@77hendriks)