The Rays were interested in reuniting with the veteran catcher Travis d’Arnaud before his stint with the Angels, according to Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times.
d’Arnaud, who turns 36 in February, spent half of the last decade in Atlanta but was a member of the Rays through the 2019 season, when he played 92 games for the club as part of the catching tandem. Mike Zunino and was a key part of the club’s first trip to the postseason since 2013. He split time between catching and playing first base with Tampa, and hit a solid .263/.323/.459 with 16 homers in 365 trips to the plate. . That production was good for a wRC+ of 109, and his stellar career with the Rays served as a foundation for him as he entered free agency that winter.
Of course, d’Arnaud ended up with the Braves before the 2020 season and has spent the past five seasons as a roster spot in Atlanta, making more appearances for them than any other player in each season except for 2023, there. Sean Murphy took on the first duties of the host. The veteran served as a nearly league-average hitter during his time with the Braves, hitting .251/.312/.443 with a 106 wRC+. That nearly matched his production in 2024 as well, as he hit 15 homers in 99 games en route to a 103 wRC+ with Atlanta this year. As important as d’Arnaud’s catcher was to the Braves, the club opted to part ways with him this winter and Murphy is expected to be healthy enough to resume his career next year and contribute. Drake Baldwin knocking on the door at Triple-A.
A reunion between d’Arnaud and the Rays would make sense given the club’s glaring hole behind the plate. Ben Rortvedt he’s on the club’s catch list after posting a respectable 87 wRC+ in 112 games for Tampa in 2024, but the club parted ways with both. Alex Jackson again Rene Pinto already this winter. That leaves them in need of a partner for Rortvedt, and preferably one who can be their primary backup and allow Rortvedt to transition into a backup role. That’s a bill d’Arnaud would fit in nicely, providing a big improvement over the club’s 67 wRC+ from the 2024 catcher position. That wasn’t meant to be, though. Topkin notes that d’Arnaud (a native of Long Beach, CA) was motivated to return to southern California, and his two-year, $12MM deal with the club allowed him to do just that.
Even if d’Arnaud lands elsewhere, however, Topkin suggests free agency remains the best place for the Rays to find an upgrade behind the plate with several options known to be available on the trade market. Topkin suggests a veteran running back Danny Jansen again Kyle Higashioka would be a better fit for the Rays’ needs behind the plate. Jansen, 29, has struggled after a hot start this year but has been a reliable presence behind the plate for Toronto in a part-time role from 2021-23 with an impressive slash line of .237/.317/.487 (121 wRC+) in 754 walks at the plate in those three seasons. Even in his down season in 2024, he hit a respectable .237/.372/.342 against left-handed pitching this year, making him a solid platoon partner for Rortvedt.
On the other hand, Higashioka is coming off a strong pitching season but has a poor offensive record and enters the market at 34 years old. After spending parts of seven seasons in the Bronx, Higashioka split time with. Luis Campusano behind the plate in San Diego this season and flashed impressive power with 17 home runs in just 264 trips to the plate. That impressive pace is affected by his .263 slugging percentage, however, leaving him with a 105 wRC+ overall last year. Higashioka’s contributions have been mixed this year as well, making him a less attractive Rortvedt partner than Jansen.
That said, it’s at least possible that Jansen and Higashioka could come off the Rays’ roster this winter. MLBTR predicted two-year guarantees for both players on our annual list of the Top 50 MLB Free Agents. We predicted that Jansen would get a $20MM guarantee while Higashioka would get a $15MM guarantee. For the Rays club RosterResource projects a payroll of $87MM in 2025 after opening the 2024 campaign with just under $100MM in salary, an annual salary of $8MM to $10MM would be difficult for the club to justify there the club can. and is looking to improve its outdoor mix this winter. Carson Kelly, Elias Diaz, James McCannagain Gary Sanchez are among the other options available this winter that could be less guaranteed than Jansen and Higashioka if the Rays want to save money.
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