The Blue Jays’ catching depth just got a little thinner, and it happened in a hurry.
Toronto lost Willie MacIver on waivers to the Seattle Mariners on Wednesday, a move that trims an already fragile layer of organizational depth behind Alejandro Kirk and Brandon Valenzuela at the big-league level. Seattle sent the 29-year-old catcher to Triple-A Tacoma, where he’ll provide depth for its own system.
For Toronto, the timing stings. MacIver had been acquired from the Texas Rangers for cash considerations in April and spent his entire Blue Jays stint with Triple-A Buffalo. He put together a strong line there, hitting .270 with an .803 OPS while scoring 31 runs, doubling 15 times, tripling three times, and adding seven home runs, 44 RBIs and four stolen bases in 60 games.
That production made his exit a bit of a surprise, especially with the injuries Toronto has been dealing with for much of the season. But the Blue Jays needed a 40-man roster spot for Simeon Woods-Richardson, who was DFA’d by the club in June but stayed in the organization, and MacIver ended up being the odd man out.
Toronto may have hoped MacIver would slip through waivers the way Woods-Richardson did. Instead, Seattle moved quickly and grabbed him just two days after he was designated for assignment.
Now the Blue Jays are left with C.J. Stubbs and William Simoneit as their primary catchers at Triple-A.
Between them, they have just one game of major league experience, and that belongs to Stubbs. He made his lone big league appearance in his MLB debut with the Washington Nationals in 2025, going hitless in three at-bats against the Miami Marlins.
MacIver also brought some MLB time to the table. Before landing with Toronto, he appeared in 32 games with the Athletics in 2025 and hit .186 with a .576 OPS, along with seven runs scored, five doubles, three home runs and nine RBIs.
With him gone, Toronto doesn’t have much catching experience left in the organization. That puts even more pressure on Kirk and Valenzuela to stay healthy the rest of 2026.
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