Rangers sign free-agent catcher Higashioka to 2-year deal

ARLINGTON -- The Rangers added one of the top catchers available on the free-agent market, announcing Monday that they agreed to a two-year contract with Kyle Higashioka. The deal is worth $12.5 million over the two years ($5.75M in 2025, $6.75M in 2026) and includes a $7 million mutual option for 2027 with a $1 million buyout.

Higashioka, a seventh-round pick by the Yankees in 2008, spent more than 15 years in the organization before being traded to the Padres in the blockbuster Juan Soto deal along with Michael King, Jhony Brito, Drew Thorpe and Randy Vásquez

Higashioka figures to share time with Rangers starting catcher Jonah Heim, who played 131 games in each of the last two seasons. Another backstop was Texas’ biggest need among position players, though the primary needs remain on the pitching staff -- both in the rotation and in the bullpen.

“This is a really good squad, obviously,” Higashioka said via Zoom. “I think everyone will probably say that they underperformed last year, but I think the team as a whole is a fantastic roster. Chris Young, this offseason, he made it very clear how committed they are to winning. It's my job to play well when I'm in there. Obviously [Bruce Bochy] is going to make the lineup. We’ve got Jonah here, who's a fantastic catcher. He's a guy that I really like watching play. So I think for me, it's about trying to make the team better in whatever way possible.”

Higashioka is coming off his best power season to date -- despite posting a .220 batting average, he hit 17 home runs in 84 games, ending the year with a .476 slugging percentage. His bat also came up big in October; he homered in both games of the Padres’ Wild Card Series sweep of the Braves and tacked on another in the NLDS against the Dodgers.

Although his power has made him a viable short-term starter when called on, Higashioka has primarily served as a backup catcher with a particular gift for pitch framing, having ranked as high as the 90th percentile in catcher framing runs in 2023. His work blocking and managing the running game has historically been much less consistent -- his -20 Blocks Above Average since the start of the 2023 season are the second-fewest in MLB, and his average pop time fell into the 10th percentile among qualifying catchers in 2024.

Rangers catchers coach Bobby Wilson is known for cultivating quality defensive catchers, including Gold Glove Award winners Heim and Jose Trevino, who won one after being traded to the Yankees in 2022.

In eight Major League seasons, Higashioka is a .212/.255/.412 hitter with 57 home runs and a lifetime 81 OPS+.

Heim, who has been the Rangers’ starter behind the plate for the past three seasons, is coming off a down year after winning a Gold Glove and being the All-Star starter in 2023, recording a 70 wRC+ in '24. Heim was not a qualified hitter, but if he was, that would rank in the bottom five in the Majors. He slashed .220/.267/.336 with a 72 OPS+.

The Rangers entered 2024 with offseason acquisition Andrew Knizner backing up Heim. Knizner hit just .167 in Texas, leading to Heim shouldering most of the workload before Knizner was designated for assignment in August. The weight on Heim’s shoulders eased when the club acquired Carson Kelly at the Trade Deadline and shifted to more of a 50/50 split behind the plate. After the Deadline, Heim played 38 games, while Kelly played 31. Kelly became a free agent at the end of the season.

Higashioka adds much-needed depth behind Heim, while also being a veteran catcher that knows how to handle pitching staffs.

"I think we see it in a situation where [Higashioka and Heim] are going to complement one another,” said general manager Ross Fenstermaker. “More of a [time-share than] equal playing time. I think a lot of that will be driven by performance. I think that they both offer some unique traits and have their own abilities, and I think we're looking forward to seeing how they pair up together.”