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Rays sign division rival catcher to one-year deal in free agency

ByMason Stacy|
Sep 19, 2024; St. Petersburg, Florida, USA; Boston Red Sox catcher Danny Jansen (28) looks on against the Tampa Bay Rays in the fourth inning at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images
Sep 19, 2024; St. Petersburg, Florida, USA; Boston Red Sox catcher Danny Jansen (28) looks on against the Tampa Bay Rays in the fourth inning at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

The Rays front office have found their catcher for the 2025 season. Danny Jansen and the Rays have agreed to a one-year, $8.5 million deal. This free agency acquisition has come just before this year's edition of the Winter Meetings.

Formerly a member of the Blue Jays and Red Sox, Jansen has been a productive catcher in the competitive AL East division, as he's appeared in at least 70 games in five seasons. In fact, the Wisconsin native is ranked in the top-10 among American League catchers in the essential stats of OBP and RBIs.

This ideal signing came at a time where the Rays were starving for aid in the catcher department. Erik Neander was quoted in a recent article by Rays beat writer, Adam Berry. The Rays President of Baseball Operations stated, "The soft spots, performance-wise, from our club last year, they’ve been defined and we’re going through the process of seeing what we can do about it".

This one-year deal was exactly what the doctor ordered as the Rays catchers' struggles in 2024 were profound. Tampa Bay backstops finished the season with a dismal .192 average and only nine home runs. The Rays catchers ranked 28th in the MLB in batting average and 29th among MLB catchers in home runs, as the Marlins catchers completed the year with only eight home runs.

Jansen will certainly be able to assist in those departments as he's hit at least 10 homers in half of his major league seasons. Another huge plus for this specific addition is the fact that the former 16th round pick has been a member of the AL East for his entire career. Therefore, he has seen the top pitching in the division and he's well-equipped with knowledge of the Rays opponents. This will be extremely helpful especially coming from a position of leadership.

The Rays don't normally sign free agents due to their finances and competition among other clubs. One of their latest free agent catcher signings was All-Star, Wilson Ramos. Ramos would only play one and a half seasons in Tampa Bay, but finished his time with a .281 AVG and 25 home runs. Hopefully, we can get similar productivity from this versatile player.

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