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Pirates trade former SF Giants catcher to Blue Jays

The Pittsburgh Pirates traded a former SF Giants catcher to the Toronto Blue Jays for infielder Vinny Capra.
Marc Delucchi|
Pirates trade former SF Giants catcher to Blue Jays
Pirates trade former SF Giants catcher to Blue Jays

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Toronto Blue JaysPittsburgh PiratesSan Francisco Giants

The Pittsburgh Pirates traded former SF Giants catcher Tyler Heineman to the Toronto Blue Jays for infielder Vinny Capra Sunday. The Blue Jays immediately added Heineman to the team's 40-man roster and optioned him to Triple-A. Heineman had appeared in three games this season with the Pirates before he was designated for assignment.

Capra is a 26-year-old former Blue Jays 20th-round pick. He hit .301/.395/.455 between Single-A and Triple-A in 2022, making his MLB debut with the Blue Jays. However, he has struggled this season back at Triple-A, hitting .167/.357/.222 in 70 plate appearances.

Heineman was drafted in the eighth round of the 2012 MLB Draft out of UCLA by the Houston Astros. However, it would take him more than seven years (and three organizations) to make his big-league debut with the Miami Marlins in September of 2019.

As is often the case for fringe MLB catchers, Heineman has often been at Triple-A with a team when they need another catcher and call him up to the majors for a short time. Then, once the team's catching depth is healthier, Heineman is designated for assignment where another team waives him or he returns to the minors.

The Giants signed Heineman to a minor-league free-agent contract prior to the 2020 season. He was unexpectedly thrust into an even larger role with the team once star catcher Buster Posey decided to opt out of the COVID-shortened 2020 season. With a need behind the plate, the Giants called upon Heineman as their Opening Day starter behind the plate.

Heineman was coming off the best minor-league season of his career in 2019, and the Giants were hopeful he could carry that success to the majors. He had hit .336/.400/.590 with 17 doubles, 13 home runs, 21 walks, and 35 strikeouts in 273 plate appearances with the Marlins Triple-A affiliate. While Heineman consistently put the ball in play, only striking out six times in 50 plate appearances, his lack of power left the Giants in need of more. He hit just .190/.292/.214 in 15 games with San Francisco before the team decided to go in a different direction.

Since his stint in the Bay Area, Heineman has spent time in the Cardinals, Phillies, Blue Jays, and Pirates organizations, appearing in the majors with both the Pirates and Blue Jays. Now, the 31-year-old catcher is back on the Blue Jays 40-man roster.

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Marc Delucchi
MARC DELUCCHI

Marc Delucchi (he/they/she) serves as the Managing Editor at Giants Baseball Insider, leading their SF Giants coverage. As a freelance journalist, he has previously covered the San Francisco Giants at Around the Foghorn and McCovey Chronicles. He also currently contributes to Niners Nation, Golden State of Mind, and Baseball Prospectus. He has previously been featured in several other publications, including SFGate, ProFootballRumors, Niners Wire, GrandStand Central, Call to the Pen, and Just Baseball. Over his journalistic career, Marc has conducted investigations into how one prep baseball player lost a college opportunity during the pandemic (Baseball Prospectus) and the rampant mistreatment of players at the University of Hawaii football program under former head coach Todd Graham (SFGate). He has also broken dozens of news stories around professional baseball, primarily around the SF Giants organization, including the draft signing of Kyle Harrison, injuries and promotions to top prospects like Heliot Ramos, and trade details in the Kris Bryant deal. Marc received a Bachelor's degree from Kenyon College with a major in economics and a minor in Spanish. During his time in college, he conducted a summer research project attempting to predict the future minor-league performance of NCAA hitters, worked as a data analyst for the school's Women's basketball team, and worked as a play-by-play announcer/color commentator for the basketball, baseball, softball, and soccer teams. He also worked as an amateur baseball scout with the Collegiate Baseball Scouting Network (later renamed Evolution Metrix), scouting high school and college players for three draft cycles. For tips and inquiries, feel free to reach out to Marc directly on Twitter or via email (delucchimarc@gmail.com).

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