AL East Notes: Blue Jays, Donovan, Nootbaar, Watson, Judge

Before the acquisition of Willson Contreras, the St. Louis Cardinals were exploring options in the trade market for catchers. This included discussions with the Toronto Blue Jays regarding Gabriel Moreno, Alejandro Kirk, and Danny Jansen. Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch shed some light on these talks, revealing Toronto’s interest in Lars Nootbaar and Brendan Donovan.

Recent reports also indicate that the Jays have shown interest in Cardinals player Dylan Carlson. This has sparked speculation about a potential trade between the two teams. Nootbaar’s ability to fill the Blue Jays’ left field position and Donovan’s versatility in playing multiple positions make them attractive trade targets for Toronto. However, other teams have also expressed interest in these players, and it’s uncertain if the Jays can outbid the competition or if they have the pitching assets that the Cardinals are seeking.

In other news from the AL East…

• The Tampa Bay Rays have hired Tony Watson for a role in their player development department. Watson, a former All-Star reliever known for his time with the Pirates, retired from playing in 2022 due to shoulder problems and will now be working under director of pitching Winston Doom.
• Aaron Judge’s influence within the Yankees organization is evident, as he has already met multiple times with owner Hal Steinbrenner this offseason. Judge’s influence may extend to decisions regarding the job security of manager Aaron Boone and director of player health and performance Eric Cressey.
• For more news from the AL East, MLBTR’s Nick Deeds has compiled additional notes from around the division.