Kyle Higashioka

Texas is already set with Jonah Heim and Kyle Higashioka behind the plate, but the light-hitting Barnhart could step in if anyone gets hurt. The Rangers might need that insurance, since usual third catcher Sam Huff is out of options and might not clear waivers in the spring. Barnhart, a former Gold Glover in Cincinnati, has seen decreasing opportunities of late, largely because he's hit .208/.286/.255 the last three years.

Kyle Higashioka gets $5.75 million in 2025 and $6.75 million in 2026. The mutual option in 2027 is for $7 million, with a $1 million buyout.

8:44pm: It’s a $13.5MM guarantee, reports Jeff Wilson of DLLS Sports (X link). Higashioka will make successive salaries of $5.75MM and $6.75MM over the next two seasons. He’s also guaranteed a $1MM buyout on the ’27 option, which is valued at $10MM. 7:46pm: The Rangers announced the signing of catcher Kyle Higashioka to a two-year…

The deal is now official. Higashioka is coming off the finest offensive campaign of his career last season when he launched 17 round-trippers in 263 plate appearances for the Padres. The 34-year-old veteran backstop provides the Rangers with an excellent complement for starter Jonah Heim, who has started at least 127 games in each of the past three seasons. It's a nice landing spot in a hitter-friendly ballpark, but he's unlikely to play enough to make an impact for fantasy purposes outside of extremely deep two-catcher formats.

The Rangers and free agent catcher Kyle Higashioka have made progress on a deal, reports Jon Morosi of the MLB Network (X link). Financial terms under discussion are not clear. More to come.