Blue Jays trade Yimi Garcia to Seattle for two prospects

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The peddling of the Blue Jays’ pending free agents began Friday when Yimi Garcia was jettisoned to the Seattle Mariners.

In return, Toronto netted lightning quick outfielder Jonatan Clase and catcher Jacob Sharp, one of a handful of deals the Jays are likely to engineer before the trade clock expires Tuesday at 6 p.m. ET.

By the opinion of most observers, both Clase and Sharp are prospects with some upside. Clase has already had a few callups with Seattle this season and could see some action for the Jays over the final two months, especially if centre fielder Kevin Kiermaier is, as expected, traded as well.

The 22-year-old Clase is a diminutive (5-foot-8, 150 pounds) switch-hitter who stole 26 bases for Seattle’s triple-A affiliate in Tacoma this season, while batting .274 and hitting 10 homers. Last year, split between high-A and double-A, it was 79 steals and 20 homers.

According to MLB.com’s prospect rankings, Clase was the 10th-best prospect in Seattle’s system and batted  .195 in 19 appearances with the M’s with three steals, but a strikeout rate of 32.6%.

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Sharp is more of a longer-term view. He’s also 22, but was in only his first full-season of minor-league ball, batting .255 with six homers in low-A.

If nothing else, he at least provides some organizational depth behind home plate on a team expected to deal catcher Danny Jansen, the Jays’ longest-tenured player, who is also a pending free agent.

Garcia, who recently returned from a stint on the injured list following an elbow issue, was viewed as one of the best trade assets for the Blue Jays, right behind Yusei Kikuchi, the starter for Friday night’s series opener against the Texas Rangers.

In a depleted bullpen with Jordan Romano injured, Garcia was hands down the Jays’ best arm, forced to serve in the role of closer.

Enjoying the finest of his three seasons in Toronto, the right-hander leaves the Jays with 3-0 record this season, a 2.70 ERA, 42 strikeouts and just eight walks (three of those intentional) in 30 innings as he proved to be effective in high-leverage situations..

Garcia had been preparing for Friday.

“I was ready for it,” he told reporters at Rogers Centre. “We packed everything.”

Whether it’s Kikuchi to go next, Jansen, Justin Turner, Trevor Richards or even Kevin Kiermaier, whom the Jays put on waivers prior to the all-star break, more changes are afoot.