Blue Jays sign former Twins catcher as Toronto adds needed depth

Toronto did not just add catching depth on paper. The club sent Winkel straight to Double-A New Hampshire, which tells you this was a move with immediate roster use in mind.

That is the real angle here. This was not a draft-and-develop story or a long-range flyer. The Blue Jays needed another catcher in the system, and they moved quickly.

Winkel had just been released by Triple-A St. Paul on March 25 after getting a non-roster invite to Twins camp in February. Toronto stepped in less than a month later and gave him a new lane.

He is 25, throws right-handed and bats left-handed, which gives the organization a different look behind the plate than a lot of depth catchers bring.

There is at least some offensive track record here, too. Over his minor league career, Winkel has hit .244 with a .322 on-base percentage and a .712 OPS, along with 31 home runs in 1013 at-bats.

This also is not a blind pickup. In 2025, he hit .217 with 7 home runs and a .664 OPS in 166 at-bats, so Toronto is betting there is enough bat speed and catch-and-throw value to keep working with.

Catching depth gets tested harder than almost any other spot in an organization. One injury, one promotion, or one short-term roster crunch can change the whole chain in a week.

That is why this signing makes sense even if it does not move the major league needle right away. The Blue Jays gave themselves another available body behind the plate without touching the 40-man roster.

The New Hampshire assignment matters, too. Toronto did not stash Winkel in extended depth. It placed him at an affiliate where playing time and need can show up quickly.

Winkel also arrives with some pedigree from a strong baseball background. The Twins drafted him in the 9th round in 2021 out of Connecticut, and he has spent his entire pro run in that system until now.

For Schneider and the Blue Jays, this is the kind of move that can look small now and useful later. Teams rarely make it through a full season without digging into their catching depth.

So no, this is not a headline-grabbing addition in Toronto. But it is the sort of roster move smart clubs keep making, and Patrick Winkel now has a real chance to turn a transaction log line into a bigger opportunity.