7:11pm: The edges have an settlement, writes Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning Information.
6:47pm: The Rangers and free agent catcher Kyle Higashioka have made progress on a deal, studies Jon Morosi of the MLB Community (X hyperlink). Monetary phrases beneath dialogue will not be clear.
Higashioka is among the prime catchers in a weak class on the place. He’s a first-time free agent though he’ll flip 35 in April. Drafted out of highschool by the Yankees in 2008, Higashioka spent 9 seasons within the minors earlier than he obtained his first massive league name. He bounced on and off the MLB roster for one more three years. It wasn’t till he’d exhausted his minor league choices that he obtained a everlasting massive league job in 2020.
New York by no means gave Higashioka a glance as a official beginning catcher. He spent four-plus seasons in a backup position whereas working as Gerrit Cole’s private catcher. The Yankees packaged him to the Padres in final winter’s Juan Soto blockbuster. Whereas San Diego was on the lookout for a veteran backup who might work behind Luis Campusano, Higashioka was usually seen as the ultimate piece of their five-player Soto return.
The Huntington Seashore native ended up as a surprisingly key contributor to San Diego’s 93-win staff. Campusano struggled on each side of the ball and finally performed his means off the large league roster. Higashioka, however, had one of the best season of his profession. He hit a personal-high 17 residence runs over 84 video games. The longball made him a good offensive participant regardless of horrible on-base marks. Higashioka ran a weird .220/.263/.476 batting line over 267 journeys to the plate.
Solely 21 hitters (minimal 200 plate appearances) had a decrease on-base share. Nonetheless, Higashioka is the one participant who ranked amongst MLB’s backside 30 in OBP who however graded as an above-average general hitter by measure of wRC+ — a testomony to his energy manufacturing. By 12 months’s finish, Higashioka had overtaken Campusano as Mike Shildt’s beginning catcher. He drilled three extra homers in seven postseason video games.
Higashioka has earned a strong defensive fame over his profession. Statcast has seemed favorably on his pitch framing abilities, whereas he’s usually well-regarded for his means to work with a pitching workers. Higashioka has struggled as a blocker in consecutive seasons, although. He was charged with 9 handed balls throughout 665 2/3 innings this 12 months. Solely Francisco Alvarez (11) was charged with extra. Korey Lee and Patrick Bailey tied Higashioka with 9 handed balls, however they every caught 150+ extra innings than he did.
Extra to come back.
