Hours before their July 27 game against the New York Yankees at Fenway Park, the Boston Red Sox have traded for a Yankee killer.
Toronto Blue Jays catcher Danny Jansen has been traded to the Red Sox. The dull details of the deal have not yet been released, but the Red Sox will send High-A infielder Cutter Coffey to Toronto among other prospects.
Jansen began his 2024 campaign on a similar breakout track as Boston catcher Connor Wong, but his offensive production has slowed. But the 29-year-old carries a .901 career OPS against the Yankees, which suits the Red Sox lineup well. Rafael Devers is well-established as Yankee kryptonite and Ceddanne Rafaela and Masataka Yoshida are following in his footsteps. Jansen — the second one on the team — may help the Red Sox dominate the season series against their rivals.
Both Wong and Reese McGuire began the 2024 slate hot at the plate, but they've plateaued recently. Wong's batting average dipped below .300 for the first time on July 23 and McGuire is slashing .174/.237/.233 in his last 30 games.
Red Sox trade with Blue Jays to acquire catcher Danny Jansen, who's had success against Yankees
The Boston Red Sox are finalizing a trade to acquire catcher Danny Jansen from the Toronto Blue Jays, sources tell ESPN. Expectations is the deal will be finished soon. @Ken_Rosenthal first reported the discussions between the teams.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) July 27, 2024
Jansen's offense may not provide the biggest boost, but his full-season numbers are slightly better than McGuire's. He's also right-handed while McGuire bats from the left — Boston has been desperate for right-handed batters as it's struggled severely against lefty hurlers this year. Jansen is batting .212/.303/.369 with 13 doubles, six homers and 16 RBI in 61 games with the Jays, a relatively small sample size, as Alejandro Kirk is their primary backstop.
Jansen has walked 25 times and fanned 42 times, good for an 82nd-percentile walk rate and 70th-percentile strikeout rate. He's also an elite blocker with 11 blocks above average, which falls in the top two percent in the league. Wong falls in the bottom two percent in the league in blocks above average and McGuire ranks in the lowest quarter.
Overall, the Jansen trade won't boost Boston's offense much, but it should improve its success rate against lefty pitching. The Red Sox were itching to become more right-handed, and Jansen will deliver more often than McGuire.
Boston will still need another right-handed bat if it hopes for impact offense from the right side.