The Angels’ catching position group in 2025 was a tough watch. Logan O’Hoppe went into the season alongside Zach Neto and Nolan Schanuel as the young core of the Angels, only to go through a huge step back throughout the season. Both defensively and offensively, O’Hoppe struggled to find any sort of consistency or momentum throughout 2025. To his credit, he was open and honest about his struggles last season, remaining confident he can bounce back in 2026. He has also been putting in the work this offseason, attending one of the best private development centers in the baseball community.
Nonetheless, it would be malpractice for the Angels to ignore the catching position entirely. They have already added some organization depth at the position this offseason with a former Yankees’ top prospect, and more moves could be made to support the position with O’Hoppe and Travis d’Arnaud currently the big league backstops. And they may find an answer courtesy of a division rival.
Former Rangers All-Star catcher could be a sneaky good signing for the Angels
The Rangers had one of the better trade candidates this offseason in catcher Jonah Heim, but decided to non-tender him instead. This makes him immediately available to any interested MLB teams, and the Angels should be circling the waters. While Heim’s 2025 season was only marginally better at the plate than O’Hoppe’s (77 OPS+ versus a 72 OPS+, respectively), he’d still be worth bringing in for Spring Training to see if he has any of the juice left from his 2023 All Star campaign. Heim has seen higher peaks during his career than O’Hoppe, and could be a complimentary veteran addition. This could also allow the Angels to trade d’Arnaud, clearing $6 million of payroll.
Heim and O’Hoppe would make a nice platoon. Heim is a switch hitting catcher while O’Hoppe hits stricly from the right side. Despite this, O’Hoppe performs better against right-handed pitching than Heim, especially over the past two campaigns. Heim is superior against lefties, however, and could be a natural platoon option as the Angels give O’Hoppe another season to prove he can be the future of catching in Anaheim.
Heim also likely worked extensively with pitching coach Mike Maddux during their time in Texas together, as the two of them worked with the best rotation in baseball in 2025. While his defensive metrics are not overly inspiring anymore, Heim clearly knows how to handle a rotation. And as a Gold Glove finalist in 2023, he was known as one of the best pitch framers in baseball.
Heim is a low-risk player the Angels should invest in early. Even if he serves merely as a mentor for O’Hoppe, bringing Heim in to the organization could be a beneficial move for an Angels team hoping to take a step forward in 2026.