The Texas Rangers captured the World Series title in 2023, but the following two seasons were a major disappointment, as they failed to reach the playoffs in both years. Determined to avoid a similar outcome in 2026, the front office has been aggressive early this offseason, recently making a key free-agent addition to address a major roster need.
With gaps emerging across the roster in recent years, Texas has faced challenges in rebuilding depth. However, they checked off an important box by signing veteran catcher Danny Jansen to a multi-year deal in free agency.
Catcher is one of the most difficult positions to get steady offensive production across the league. In 2025, the Rangers used Jonah Heim and Kyle Higashioka at the position, but the results were underwhelming. Texas’ decision not to tender Heim a contract signaled a shift in their plans at catcher this offseason.
That change brought them to Danny Jansen, who split the 2025 season between the Tampa Bay Rays and Milwaukee Brewers. After spending the first seven years of his career with the Toronto Blue Jays, Jansen has moved around in recent seasons, also logging time with the Boston Red Sox along with the Rays and Brewers.
Jansen may not be a headline-grabbing catcher, but he provides dependable defense and brings right-handed power that helps balance out his lower batting average. With Kyle Higashioka remaining on the roster, the Rangers signed Jansen to a two-year, $14.5 million free-agent deal to form a veteran catching tandem.
According to Robert Murray of FanSided, the agreement includes incentives that could raise the total value to $15.5 million.
