The Blue Jays announced this evening that they have signed catcher Henry Blanco to a non-guaranteed, one-year, $750,000 contract. Tommy Hottovy was designated for assignment in a corresponding roster move, which means Blanco will occupy a spot on the 40-man roster for the time being.
Blanco, 41, batted just .188/.224/.281 with one home run, seven RBI and a .581 OPS in 21 games with the Diamondbacks last season. He became a free agent after Arizona declined his $1.24 million option for 2013.
The Blue Jays already have J.P. Arencibia and Josh Thole as the projected catchers for the Opening Day roster, so Blanco will provide some insurance. It also helps that he caught knuckleballer R.A. Dickey when they were teammates with the Mets in 2010.
