Rangers Confident Danny Jansen Short-Term Answer to Catching Tandem Need

The Texas Rangers have pursued Danny Jansen before and for the next two seasons they have him locked into a catching tandem.

Milwaukee Brewers catcher Danny Jansen (33) hits a two-run home run during the fourth inning of their game against the Cincinnati Reds Sunday, September 28, 2025 at American Family Field in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. | Mark Hoffman/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

As it turns out, the Texas Rangers have been interested in catcher Danny Jansen for quite some time.

Earlier this week, president of baseball operations Chris Young was open about the team’s desire to land him, either as a free agent or as a trade piece. But, the fact is, Jansen has been in demand the past couple of years.

The Rangers will be his fifth team since the start of the 2024 season. The Toronto Blue Jays dealt him at the 2024 deadline to the Boston Red Sox. After Boston chose not to re-sign him, he signed with the Tampa Bay Rays and was traded again at the deadline, this time to the Milwaukee Brewers.

Sometimes demand is the sign that a player is the right fit.

“Catching is probably the hardest position to move at the deadline, because it requires the player familiarizing himself with 13 plus pitchers on a staff,” Young said. “But Danny has an unbelievable reputation as a winning person, a winning player, teammate, and so I think he'll make a natural transition into our group and be an additive to our clubhouse.”

Danny Jansen in Texas

Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

The 30-year-old Jansen lost his foothold in Toronto with the emergence of All-Star catcher Alejandro Kirk. But the veteran can provide some punch at the plate to go along with solid defense. Texas would love the 2022 version of Jansen, who slashed .260/.339/.516 with 15 home runs and 44 RBI in 72 games. That would pair perfectly with holdover Kyle Higashioka, who is coming off a season in which he slashed .241/.291/.403 with 11 home runs and 47 RB in 71 games behind the plate.

Consistent power from a single catcher behind the plate his hard to find. A combined 26 home runs? That would be better than the 22 home runs that Higashioka and Jonah Heim combined for last season.

Young envisions a tandem, as he did a year ago. In a perfect world, that would be an 81-81 split. Both have defensive strengths. Higashioka was one of the best framers in baseball last season, in the 78th percentile on Baseball Savant. It’s unclear how that art form will fare in the new ABS era of Major League Baseball. Jansen excelled at is blocks above average, where he ranked in the 98th percentile. But he was well below average in other categories.

Both are right-handed hitters. Based on last year’s splits, Higashioka will likely draw starts against left-handed pitching (.250/.282/.404) as Jansen was below .200 against lefties.

With Jansen under contract through 2027, the deal gives Texas protection after Higashioka’s two-year deal lapses after 2026. It also gives top catching prospect Malcolm Moore two years to develop further. The 2024 first-round pick hasn’t played at Double-A yet.

Young wants to find a younger catcher for the future. But for now, he’s happy with the two veterans.

“We think that it'll really be a good boost to our group,” Young said. “It'll complement Kyle Higashioka. We feel like the two of them behind the plate together will make a great tandem.”