Newcomer Jansen checking every box with Rays

PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. -- The Rays always do their research before acquiring players. They look into everything you¡¯d expect, from a player¡¯s statistics and projections to his background and health. But they also consider the personality and character of anyone they¡¯re going to add to their clubhouse.

And in that area, Danny Jansen truly stood out.

¡°Nobody had a bad word to say about him,¡± president of baseball operations Erik Neander said. ¡°Nobody had a neutral word to say about him.¡±

Before signing the 29-year-old catcher to a one-year, $8.5 million deal in December, the Rays heard plenty about Jansen being mature beyond his years -- a true professional and an ¡°exceptional¡± teammate who cared about winning above all, Neander said. What they¡¯ve seen since then -- from Jansen¡¯s approach to learning a new pitching staff to his interactions with clubhouse staff -- has supported those words.

¡°Everything has been exactly what we heard, and that feels good in the early going,¡± Neander said. ¡°Now, we¡¯ve got to keep him healthy and hit some homers and do the rest, but just couldn¡¯t be more pleased. We know [about] the on-field part of it, but the off-field [part] is really important.¡±

Of course, the Rays also signed Jansen for what they think he can do on the field. He¡¯s shown above-average power and home-run production at times, although he went deep only nine times in 92 games last year. Manager Kevin Cash said he expects Jansen to play ¡°a lot¡± and carry ¡°a pretty big workload¡± behind the plate, which says a lot about their evaluation of his defense. The key is staying healthy, as Jansen has been limited to 320 games over the past four years.

¡°Through every injury, through all that, just try to learn," Jansen said. "I think that I've done a pretty good job of that. Definitely excited to have a healthy year.¡±

Jansen knew the Rays fairly well from the other side of the field, having spent his entire career with the Blue Jays before being traded to the Red Sox last season. But he wanted to learn as much as possible about the pitchers he¡¯ll be working with this year, try to get on the same page with them and dig into the details about what he can do to help.

He and his wife, Alexis, moved to the Tampa area near the end of January with their 2-year-old son and 7-month-old daughter. Jansen connected with fellow catcher Ben Rortvedt, as well as Major League field coordinator Tomas Francisco, who works with Tampa Bay¡¯s catchers. Jansen arrived for Spring Training a week ago, ahead of the report date for pitchers and catchers, to meet his new teammates and catch a few extra bullpen sessions.

¡°Every time I look somewhere, he's having a conversation with somebody,¡± Cash said.

Having to learn an entirely new team and staff after being traded to Boston midseason last year was instructive for Jansen. He gained valuable experience having to make those adjustments on the fly. Now, he has the benefit of a long Spring Training to get to know his new teammates.

¡°It's just all about communication and reps. I've been slowly trying to talk with guys and [learn] through bullpen [sessions],¡± Jansen said. ¡°That's a huge time to work on things and to communicate, so looking forward to catching more.¡±

He caught three bullpens during the first official workout at Charlotte Sports Park on Wednesday, including one session with returning ace Shane McClanahan. He and Rortvedt, along with infielder Curtis Mead and outfielder Jake Mangum, stepped into the batter¡¯s box when starters Ryan Pepiot and Taj Bradley threw live batting practice on Thursday morning. Then, Jansen took some time to speak with Bradley after his impressive session.

¡°You don¡¯t have to go find him. He¡¯s not sitting around, waiting until the season starts,¡± Bradley said. ¡°He¡¯s getting everybody in the rotation, learning them. He seems like he¡¯s doing a good job.¡±

The Rays also expect Jansen will provide a positive attitude as they navigate through a season at Steinbrenner Field. Jansen has some applicable experience, as the Blue Jays had to play in Minor League parks away from Toronto in 2020 during the pandemic. He¡¯s already shared his perspective, saying the Rays can¡¯t change it and just have to ¡°power through it¡± together.

Cash said it stood out that Jansen¡¯s response to the Rays¡¯ situation was ¡°much more embracing than questioning,¡± another reflection of the personality the team is thrilled to have in the clubhouse.

¡°When you¡¯re going into a situation like we¡¯re going into here, you need people that you believe that are made to handle it,¡± Neander said. ¡°We¡¯re really lucky to have him, and that¡¯s been verified since the moment we signed him.¡±