The Chicago Cubs have expressed interest in Toronto Blue Jays catcher Danny Jansen,The 29-year-old is scheduled to become a free agent at the end of the 2024 season and figures to be one of many Blue Jays on the market leading up to the trade deadline if things don't turn around.
Nightengale adds baseball executives are starting to believe that Jays general manager Ross Atkins, along with executives Farhan Zaidi of the San Francisco Giants and A.J. Preller of the San Diego Padres, will face questions about their job security if their teams are unable to make the postseason. Jansen, in his seventh season with the Jays, is slashing .223/.319/.397 with six home runs and 17 RBI in 56 games so far this season.
Selected in the 16th round in the 2013 MLB out of high school in West Appleton, Wis., Jansen has spent his entire MLB career with Toronto, appearing in a total of 465 games. His best season came in 2022 when he slashed .260/.339/.516 with 15 homers and 44 RBI in just 72 games. Jansen is a lifetime .224 hitter and has a career OPS of .739.
The Jays head into the final game before the All-Star break at 43-52, 9.5 games back of the final American League wild-card playoff position.