Rays Predicted to Add New Catcher in Free Agency Before Opening Day

Should the Tampa Bay Rays pursue help behind the plate?

Sep 26, 2025; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; The hat and glove of Tampa Bay Rays third baseman Junior Caminero (13) in the dugout during the game against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre. | John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images

With the start of spring training quickly approaching, the Tampa Bay Rays will be hoping to snap a two-year playoff drought. However, there are still some question marks on the roster. 

So far this winter, the Rays have been one of the more aggressive teams in terms of making moves. Tampa Bay always tries to get the most out of their payroll and roster, which generally leads to them being active. 

However, the American League East is loaded, and all of the other teams in the division spent a lot of money this winter to improve. For the Rays, it’s hard to say that they are a better team on paper than they were in 2025. A few key contributors like Shane Baz, Pete Fairbanks, and All-Star slugger Brandon Lowe are no longer on the team. While they were able to address some of the concerns in the outfield, this team does have some question marks. 

One position that the team likely wanted to improve was behind the plate. The catcher position has been a mess for a couple of years now, and it is trending toward being an issue once again this campaign. 

Joel Reuter of Bleacher Report recently wrote about what the lineup for the Rays might look like on Opening Day. At the catcher position, he predicted that the starting catcher would be free agent Jonah Heim. 

Catcher Position is a Concern

Texas Rangers pinch hitter Jonah Heim | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

As of now, Tampa Bay is set to enter the season with Hunter Feduccia and Nick Fortes as the two primary catchers. While they do have a promising offensive prospect in Dominic Keegan, whether or not he will be ready at the beginning of the year to be an everyday player is unknown. 

After missing out on free agents like J.T. Realmuto and Victor Caratini, who would have been upgrades, options are limited. However, Heim is an interesting player and was an All-Star as recently as 2023. Unfortunately, he has really struggled since then from an offensive standpoint and bringing him in might not help the situation based on the performance in the previous two years. 

If the price is right, Heim figures to be a great candidate for a prove-it deal due to his struggles. Perhaps a change of scenery after struggling with the Texas Rangers could be exactly what he needs to regain his form of 2023. While it is far from a perfect scenario, he at least does have some upside.