The Tampa Bay Rays have made it clear that one of their priorities this offseason will be upgrading the catcher position.
They made a lot of moves during the 2025 season behind the plate but were unable to find a combination they liked. Danny Jansen was signed in free agency but traded to the Milwaukee Brewers over the summer.
Ben Rortvedt suffered the same fate, being traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers. In that deal, the team brought back Hunter Feduccia. They also completed a trade with the Miami Marlins to acquire Nick Fortes.
Right now, Feduccia and Fortes are the only catchers on the Rays’ 40-man roster. That is almost assuredly going to change in the coming weeks with the front office on the lookout for upgrades.
Rays can afford reunion with Danny Jansen
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A reunion with Jansen certainly should not be ruled out, especially when taking into consideration how affordable he is projected to be.
As shared by Tim Britton of The Athletic (subscription required), Jansen is projected to land a one-year, $8 million deal in free agency this winter. That is the same amount of money he made in 2025, so it is certainly within even the tight budget Tampa Bay operates on since they signed him in free agency a year ago.
Bringing him back into the fold would be a smart move for the Rays. Given the time he spent with the franchise last season, he knows a lot of this pitching staff pretty well already.
That would eliminate what could sometimes be a lengthy period of time for pitchers and catchers to develop chemistry and get on the same page. Pitchers can have confidence unloading any kind of breaking balls with him behind the plate, given his elite blocks above average of +14, which is in the 98th percentile.
Danny Jansen would be sizable upgrade for Rays behind plate
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Jansen isn’t an elite option behind the plate, but is a solid Major League starter. He has recorded an OPS+ of at least 101 in four out of the last five campaigns, which would be a nice addition to a lineup that had only four above-average performers in 2025.
Owning a 4.3% home run rate in his career, well above the league average of 3.1%, Jansen offers some pop at the plate. He also owns strikeout and walk rates both better than the league average, providing a solid floor with his bat.
At that projected price tag and statistical base, the Tampa Bay should think long and hard about bringing him back for a second tenure with the franchise.
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