The Rays had curiosity in a reunion with veteran catcher Travis d’Arnaud previous to his take care of the Angels, in line with Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Occasions.
d’Arnaud, 36 in February, spent the previous half decade in Atlanta however was a member of the Rays in the course of the 2019 season, when he performed 92 video games for the membership as a part of a catching tandem with Mike Zunino and was a key a part of the membership’s first journey to the postseason since 2013. He break up time between catching and enjoying first base with Tampa, and hit a stable .263/.323/.459 with 16 homers in simply 365 journeys to the plate. That manufacturing was good for a wRC+ of 109, and his wonderful work with the Rays served as a springboard for him as he entered free company that winter.
In fact, d’Arnaud in the end landed with the Braves previous to the 2020 season and has spent the previous 5 seasons as a fixture of the lineup in Atlanta, catching extra video games for them than some other participant in every season besides 2023, when Sean Murphy took over major catching duties. The veteran has served as a roughly league common hitter general throughout his time with the Braves, slashing .251/.312/.443 with a 106 wRC+. That’s nearly in step with his manufacturing in 2024 as effectively, as he slugged 15 homers in 99 video games en path to a 103 wRC+ with Atlanta this 12 months. Invaluable as d’Arnaud has been for the Braves, the membership opted to half methods with him this winter with Murphy anticipated to be wholesome sufficient to renew major catching duties subsequent 12 months and catching prospect Drake Baldwin knocking on the door at Triple-A.
A reunion between d’Arnaud and the Rays would have definitely made sense given the membership’s apparent gap behind the plate. Ben Rortvedt is on the roster because the membership’s major catcher after he posted a good 87 wRC+ in 112 video games for Tampa in 2024, however the membership has parted methods with each Alex Jackson and Rene Pinto already this winter. That leaves them in want of a accomplice for Rortvedt, and ideally one who can grow to be their major catcher and permit Rortvedt to shift right into a backup function. That’s a invoice d’Arnaud would’ve match properly, providing a considerable improve over the membership’s 67 wRC+ from the catcher place in 2024. That wasn’t meant to be, nonetheless. Topkin notes that d’Arnaud (a local of Lengthy Seaside, CA) was motivated to return to southern California, and his two-year, $12MM pact with the membership allowed him to just do that.
At the same time as d’Arnaud landed elsewhere, nonetheless, Topkin means that free company stays the perfect place for the Rays to search out an improve behind the plate with few choices identified to be accessible on the commerce market. Topkin means that veteran backstops Danny Jansen and Kyle Higashioka could possibly be the perfect matches for the Rays’ wants behind the plate. Jansen, 29, struggled badly after a sizzling begin this 12 months however was a dependable presence behind the plate for Toronto in a part-time function from 2021-23 with a wonderful .237/.317/.487 slash line (121 wRC+) in 754 journeys to the plate over these three seasons. Even in his down 2024 season, he hit a decent .237/.372/.342 towards left-handed pitching this 12 months, making him a stable platoon accomplice for Rortvedt.
Higashioka, alternatively, is coming off a powerful platform season however has much less of a observe report offensively and is getting into the market at age 34. After spending components of seven seasons within the Bronx, Higashioka break up time with Luis Campusano behind the plate in San Diego this season and flashed spectacular energy with 17 residence runs in simply 264 journeys to the plate. That unimaginable tempo is considerably stymied by his lackluster .263 on-base proportion, nonetheless, leaving him with a 105 wRC+ general final 12 months. Higashioka’s contributions had been pretty break up impartial this 12 months as effectively, making him maybe a considerably much less engaging platoon accomplice for Rortvedt than Jansen.
That stated, it’s at the least doable that Jansen and Higashioka might wind up out of the Rays’ value vary this winter. MLBTR predicted two-year ensures for each gamers on our annual High 50 MLB Free Brokers checklist. We predicted that Jansen will land a $20MM assure whereas Higashioka will discover a assure of $15MM. For a Rays membership that RosterResource tasks for an $87MM payroll in 2025 after opening the 2024 marketing campaign with a payroll slightly below $100MM, an annual wage within the $8MM to $10MM vary may be tough for the membership to justify when the membership might additionally look to improve its outfield combine this winter. Carson Kelly, Elias Diaz, James McCann, and Gary Sanchez are among the many different choices accessible this winter who could possibly be had for a lesser assure than Jansen and Higashioka if the Rays want to lower your expenses.
