Assessing Rays 2025 Catcher Targets
How will the Rays address this hole?
The 2024 MLB season has reached its conclusion and the Rays have flipped their mindset into offseason mode. One of the top items on their wish list, it seems, is too improve upon the poor output they received from the catching position.
Rays catchers posted a .562 OPS this season which was 3rd worst in MLB. The 1.2 fWAR they generated from the position ranked 8th worst in the league, and is mostly held afloat by the solid defense Ben Rortvedt provided all year.
Here is breakdown of where this production came from:
- Ben Rortvedt: 328 PA, 87 wRC+, 1.4 fWAR
- Alex Jackson: 155 PA, 29 wRC+, -0.1 fWAR
- Rene Pinto: 49 PA, 106 wRC+, 0.0 fWAR
- Logan Driscoll: 37 PA, 24 wRC+, 0.1 fWAR
- Rob Brantly: 9 PA, -43 wRC+, -0.1 fWAR
Rortvedt, 27, is out of minor league options and under team control for three more (inexpensive) arbitration years. He is the most likely of this group to figure into the 2025 catching plans.
Rob Brantly and Alex Jackson recently elected free agency and it doesn't sound like Pinto will be on the 40-man roster for too much longer according to Marc Topkin. Driscoll, 26, has a chance to stick around as depth next year after his first big league cup of coffee in 2024.
In the Rays annual end-of-year press conference, President of Baseball Operations Erik Neander fully recognized this hole on the roster and offered the following comment:
“We’ve got to find a way to get more output out of that position than what we got this year,” Neander said. “We’ve got to find a way to be better back there, without question, and that’ll be a priority in terms of where our mental energy goes throughout this winter.”
Reading between the lines here, it sure sounds like an outside addition will be brought in to help supplement this in-house catching corps. Let’s dig into whom that may be, rapid fire style:
Target Group: Free Agents
The Rays don’t shop in this aisle all too often, with their last notable free agent catcher signing being Wilson Ramos in 2017 (2 years, $12.5M).
As for who’s available this year,
Carson Kelly, 30, produced the most WAR (1.8) of the group in 2024 but saw his production drop off after being dealt to the Rangers mid-season.
Danny Jansen is another 30-year-old option who has shown some life with the bat in recent years but struggled down the stretch in 2024.
The Padres will watch both of their catchers hit free agency in Kyle Higashioka and Elias Diaz. “Higgy” is coming off of a career year while Diaz’s production has headed in the opposite direction.
The Brewers and Gary Sanchez have to work through a mutual option (rarely do these get exercised) for 2025 but he has always hit lefties fairly well.
Yasmani Grandal, 36, also deserves a mention after having a bit of a bounce back season in Pittsburgh this year.
Other free agents: Eric Haase, Austin Hedges, James McCann, Reese McGuire, Tomas Nido, Omar Narvaez, Yan Gomes, Martin Maldonado, Curt Casali, Tucker Barnhart, Max Stassi (club option), Luke Maile (club option), Austin Barnes (club option), Jacob Stallings (mutual option)
Trade Target Group: The Experienced
The Rays aren’t known for paying up for established players but every once in a while, the production vs. investment balance makes sense to strike.
Victor Caratini is the first name I’ll throw into the hat as someone who the Rays have had interest in before and is clearly catcher #2 in Houston. He’s making $6M next year in the final year of his contract.
Jose Trevino, a great pitch framer but light hitter, seems to have lost the starting job in New York and has one more year of arbitration remaining.
The St. Louis Cardinals have dropped hints at reducing payroll next year and the Rays have liked Willson Contreras in the past, but now he’s owed $54M over the next 3 seasons.
The Twins are also looking to reduce payroll and still have Christian Vazquez (owed $10M in 2025) on the books for another year. Ryan Jeffers (two years remaining) is the better of the Twins catchers but likely figures into Minnesota’s 2025 plans.
The 2024 trade deadline had all kinds of Blue Jays headlines, but they held onto Alejandro Kirk who has two years of arbitration control remaining.
The Pirates are likely happy with what Joey Bart has provided for them so far, but they do have a few young catchers knocking on the door behind him.
Might the Red Sox dangle Connor Wong in trade talks knowing they have top catching prospect Kyle Teel sitting in AAA?
Other trade possibilities: Tom Murphy (SFG), Matt Thaiss (LAA), Nick Fortes (MIA), Travis d’Arnaud (ATL), Jake Rogers (DET), Luis Torrens (NYM)
Trade Target Group: The Young Guns
Acquiring young, unestablished, and cheap players is at the core of the Rays approach. Nearly all of their trades for catching in the recent past fall into this category: Ben Rortvedt (from NYY), Alex Jackson (from MIL), Christian Bethancourt (from OAK), Francisco Mejia (from SDP), the list goes on. Who fits into this bucket this year?
The Los Angeles Dodgers just inked Will Smith to a 10-year extension in March and have three young catchers behind him in AAA. Dalton Rushing’s bat has surged through the minors and his glove is also being tested at 1B and LF. Diego Cartaya on the other hand has struggled recently but once held a very high status in public prospect circles. The eldest of the three is Hunter Feduccia, 27, who’s hit well in AAA and briefly debuted in the majors this year.
The Pirates also have a handful of interesting backstops, with former #1 pick Henry Davis breaking into MLB recently but struggling with the bat and glove. Endy Rodriguez is also an exciting talent but missed the majority of this season while rehabbing from Tommy John surgery.
The 24-year-old Ivan Herrera had a bit of a breakout in 2024 but still sits behind Contreras on the Cardinals depth chart.
Hunter Goodman has some pop and got some run at a few different positions in Colorado this year.
The Tigers’ Dillon Dingler crushed AAA this season but may be viewed as a part of a rising young core in Detroit.
Arizona gave the lefty swinging Adrian Del Castillo a cup of coffee this year and he thrived in that stint just as well as he did in AAA.
As for a few names who have not yet seen the big leagues, top prospects Moises Ballesteros (CHC), Drake Baldwin (ATL), Samuel Basallo (BAL), and Kyle Teel (BOS) have mashed their way through the minors, and all should see big league time in 2025.
Two outside-the-box names I’ll throw out there: MJ Melendez (KCR) and Tyler Soderstrom (OAK) did not spend any real time behind the dish in 2024 but both were brought up through the ranks as catchers and are young power bats.
Other trade possibilities: Riley Adams (WSH), Blake Sabol (SFG), Freddy Fermin (KCR), Sam Huff (TEX), Kyle McCann (OAK), Pedro Pages (STL), Mickey Gasper (BOS), Bryan Lavastida (CLE), Carlos Narvaez (NYY), Drew Millas (WSH), Rafael Marchan (PHI)