In search of a catcher to pair with Kyle Higashioka, the Texas Rangers reached an agreement Friday with free agent Danny Jansen on a two-year, $14.5 million deal, according to people familiar with their discussions.
Jansen, 30, has been, at times, one of the better offensive catchers in the sport, though frequent injuries have limited his playing time. His 10.8 fWAR since 2018 ranks 10th among MLB catchers, but that production has gone through ups and downs, and he finished 2025 as a part-timer with the Milwaukee Brewers. All told, Jansen was a slightly above-average hitter (103 wRC+) while catching 93 games last season for the Tampa Bay Rays and Milwaukee.
The veteran backstop was No. 44 on The Athletic’s Free Agent Big Board, projected by Tim Britton to get a one-year, $8 million contract this offseason.
Although he’s once played as many as only 100 games in a season, Jansen has remained in demand. The Boston Red Sox acquired him at the deadline in 2024 (they mostly wanted his bat), and the Rays made him a priority signing last winter (they wanted his stability behind the plate). The first-place Brewers traded for Jansen this summer (but they used him mostly as a pinch hitter and backup to William Contreras).
Drafted out of high school by the Toronto Blue Jays in 2013, Jansen reached the majors in 2018 and eventually replaced Russell Martin as the Blue Jays’ primary catcher. From 2021 to 2023, Jansen had a 121 wRC+, eighth best among big-league catchers in that span, but he never had more than 301 plate appearances as hamstring, oblique, hand and groin injuries limited his availability, and he often split time. He broke his wrist in 2024, costing him even more time. In 2024, he made quirky MLB history when he became the first player to play for both teams in the same game when the Blue Jays and Red Sox resumed a rain-delayed game after he had been traded from Toronto to Boston.
Last winter, the Rays made clear their desire to improve behind the plate and wound up signing Jansen to a one-year, $8.5 million deal. They ultimately traded Jansen at the deadline, and he produced a .779 OPS down the stretch for the Brewers, but Milwaukee never used him in the postseason. The Brewers declined Jansen’s $12 million mutual option for next season.
Defensive metrics paint Jansen as a capable but unspectacular defender, better at blocking than framing. Much of his value comes from his bat, providing offensive production at a position where it’s often lacking.
The Rangers had been in contact with Victor Caratini before agreeing with Jansen, and are trying to trade for a young catcher.
Higashioka, 35, is in the final guaranteed year of his contract. His deal includes a $7 million mutual option for 2027, the kind that one side almost always declines.
The Rangers also agreed to one-year contracts with right-handed reliever Alexis Diaz and left-handed reliever Tyler Alexander on Friday.