Latest signing puts ticking clock on Rays' catcher search

Everyone in Tampa Bay and the surrounding areas are aware of the Rays glaring weakness at the catcher position. The combination of Ben Rortvedt, Alex Jackson, Rene Pinto, and Logan Driscoll hit a combined 9 HRs and struck out 28.9% of the time. Those statistics, along with an awful 67 wRC+ made it difficult to watch the bottom of the Rays order.

As the offseason begins to get more active, the Rays will need to start creating opportunities to acquire a reliable backstop. Two valuable catchers have already been snatched from this competitive market.

Austin Hedges signed a one-year deal to continue playing for the Cleveland Guardians. We don't believe the Rays had much interest in the defensive-minded catcher as he has slashed .166/.223/.264 since 2020. Those horrendous offensive numbers wouldn't solve our automatic outs' issue.

However, former Atlanta Braves catcher, Travis d'Arnaud has also signed elsewhere. Yesterday, the 35-year old signed a two-year deal with the Angels. This is a great addition for an LA team looking to improve in just about every facet of the game.

d'Arnaud has played 12 seasons in the majors. The California native really hit his stride in the 2019 campaign with the Rays. In that season, the former 1st round pick hit .263 with 16 HRs, to go along with multiple clutch knocks throughout the season.

Since 2020, d'Arnaud has continued his consistency with the Braves, slashing .251/.312/.443 with 60 homers and 207 RBIs. Atlanta will certainly have big shoes to fill as they move on from their clutch-hitting catcher.

On the other side, the Angels will have to make a decision regarding their catcher options. Along with the newly acquired d'Arnaud, Los Angeles also has Logan O'Hoppe and Matt Thaiss. After a solid 20-home run season and a 2.1 WAR in 2024, the Angels will most likely elect to hang on to O'Hoppe as their starting catcher. That leaves Matt Thaiss as a liable trade option for the AL West organization.

The New Jersey native could be a possible option for the Rays via trade with the Angels. Although, the 29-year old has never been able to put it all together in his time with Los Angeles. In his six seasons with the club, Thaiss is the 3rd best power-hitting Angels catcher since he arrived in 2019 with 22 homers.

However, according to Fangraphs, he is the worst defensive catcher in that span and he carried a negative WAR. The Rays aren't afraid to sign somebody that they believe has a few qualities they can expand upon and capitalize on. There's a possibility that he just wasn't getting the opportunities he needed or he wasn't put in the best situation for success.

There are a few other available catchers still on the market that the Rays may pursue to fill their void. First of all, Danny Jansen is a free agent this offseason and the Rays could make an offer due to his familiarity in the AL East division.

The 16th round pick has played for the Blue Jays and Red Sox in his seven big league seasons. Since he arrived on the scene in 2018, he has the 5th most home runs among American League catchers, tied with former Rays catcher, Mike Zunino.

The Rays front office has important decisions to make as they weigh their options in the catcher market and any other position of weakness. Happy offseason!