When the cataclysmic World Series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Yankees ends, no later than Nov. 2, baseball’s free agency bonanza begins. If last year is any indication, it will last right through spring training. Since the Rangers don’t have to worry any longer about defending their World Series title, they can at least begin the process of sorting through their wants and needs.
With payroll expected to fall from $260 million to below the competitive balance tax threshold of $241 million, they may have to focus on needs more than wants. But with that said, let’s continue looking at potential fits.
Today: Catcher
Overview: There is no way to sum up Jonah Heim’s 2024 season other than unacceptable. After starting the All-Star Game and winning a Gold Glove in 2023, he ranked as just one of 13 players in baseball (among the 169 that had at least 450 plate appearances) with a negative WAR. And it was only that good because his defense was still OK. Offensively, he ranked dead last in OPS at .602.
It has changed the Rangers’ perspective on Heim from a front-line starter potentially worthy of long-term contract consideration to a guy best used in more even catching split. He’s started more than 100 games behind the plate in each of the last three seasons. It made it easier for the Rangers to complement him with a straight backup. Not so for 2025. They will be looking for somebody capable of catching 70-plus games alongside him and maybe pushing for even more playing time. They’d like somebody who can have a bit of success against right-handed pitching, though their intention isn’t to create a straight platoon with Heim only facing lefties.
The problem is that catching always offers the thinnest pool of talent, but let’s break down the market anyway.
Internal options: Perhaps before the Rangers even turn to the external market, it’s best to consider what’s already in the cupboard. Carson Kelly, added at the trade deadline, was adequate offensively. His .665 OPS against right-handers isn’t, by any stretch, great, but he has hit lefties extremely well (.812 career OPS), did seem to fit in the clubhouse well and was liked as a receiver. Kelly made $3.5 million in 2024 and will likely be in that same range in 2025. To sign him, paired with arbitration-eligible Heim, would up the Rangers catching outlay from about $6 million in 2024 to close to $10 million for 2025.
One-time catcher-of-the-future Sam Huff, who will be 27 next year, is still on the roster, though he’s out of minor league options and somehow expected to be arbitration eligible. It didn’t bode well for Huff that despite all the catching issues in 2024, he caught all of 11 innings in the majors. Still, if the Rangers need to go cheaper at backup because of Heim’s expected arbitration salary jump, he’s the option.
The big fish: This is the catching market. There aren’t any. The big fish rarely get to market here. Closest thing: One-time lunker Yasmani Grandal, a switch-hitting 36-year-old. Grandal only caught 62 games for Pittsburgh in 2024, but did post a .757 OPS against right-handed pitchers, the best figure among the potential free agents. He also was an above-average framer in 2024.
The middle tier: Kyle Higashioka, who turns 35 in April, had a nice bounceback year with San Diego with 17 homers and a .737 OPS against right-handers. Higashioka was a +1 in terms of runs saved via framing, which put him on the same level as Kelly. He’s averaged 67 starts a year for the last four years, which puts him right in that sweet spot of “extended backup.”
Others here include Elias Diaz, who had a .722 OPS against right-handers and a positive framing score, Jacob Stallings (.743 OPS vs. RHP) and Gary Sanchez (.745). The latter two, however, had negative numbers on the framing side. And while the Rangers need an offensive boost at catcher, they highly value what a player brings behind the plate more than at the plate.
Veteran presence: Look, Austin Hedges is not going to give you anything at the plate, but he’s a well-respected teammate and brought a certain energy to the Rangers as a trade-deadline acquisition in 2023. He was liked enough by Cleveland for the Guardians, who had him from 2020-22, to give him $4 million to start 46 games in 2024.
Bargain hunting: From 2021-23, Danny Jansen was perhaps the best slugging offensive backup in baseball, putting together an .805 OPS with Toronto while splitting time with Alejandro Kirk. Jansen, 29, had a big drop in 2024, but he’s young enough to think there is still a bounceback there. While he had only a .634 OPS against right-handers in 2024, it was .762 for his career coming into the season.
Otherwise, bargain hunting means looking for the Huffs in other organizations -- the guys who haven’t really had much major league experience at all who have simply run out of time to develop in an organization.
