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The Rangers have signed veteran catcher Danny Jansen to a two-year, $14.5 million contract in free agency
The Texas Rangers only won the World Series two years ago in 2023, but in the ensuing two seasons, they have struggled mightily, missing the postseason entirely both years. The front office has been hard at work early on this offseason in an attempt to ensure that doesn’t happen again in 2026, and it recently led to them making a notable signing in free agency that will fill one of their top areas of need.
Holes have popped up across the roster for Texas in recent seasons, making things difficult for the front office when it comes to shoring things up. They managed to cross one item off of their checklist, though, as they signed veteran catcher Danny Jansen to a multi-year contract in free agency recently.
Rangers Sign Danny Jansen in Free Agency
Free-agent catcher Danny Jansen and the Texas Rangers are in agreement on a two-year, $14.5 million contract that includes bonuses to get it to $15.5 million, according to sources familiar with the deal.
The catcher position is one of the toughest spots to find consistent production in the majors. In 2025, the Rangers relied on the duo of Jonah Heim and Kyle Higashioka behind the plate, but they weren’t exactly anything to write home about. With Heim not getting tendered a contract, though, that indicated that Texas was planning on going in a different direction this offseason.
That led them to Jansen, who spent the 2025 campaign with the Tampa Bay Rays and Milwaukee Brewers. After spending the first seven seasons of his career with the Toronto Blue Jays, Jansen has bounced around a bit over the past two years, as he’s also spent time with the Boston Red Sox, in addition to the Rays and Brewers.
Jansen isn’t exactly a flashy catcher, but he plays solid defense behind the plate, and he offers some solid right-handed pop, which helps offset his low batting averages. With Higashioka still in town, the Rangers handed Jansen a two-year, $14.5 million contract in free agency to come in and work in tandem with the fellow veteran backstop.
“Free-agent catcher Danny Jansen and the Texas Rangers are in agreement on a two-year, $14.5 million contract that includes bonuses to get it to $15.5 million, according to sources familiar with the deal,” Robert Murray of FanSided reported on Friday night.
Rangers Still Have Quite a Bit of Work to Do After Danny Jansen Signing
GettyThe Rangers have signed veteran catcher Danny Jansen to a two-year, $14.5 million contract in free agency
The addition of Jansen should certainly help Texas at the catcher position, but he’s not going to make them an immediate playoff contender. The Rangers still could use a big bat to help replace the departures of Marcus Semien and Adolis Garcia in the lineup, and some late-inning relievers in the bullpen wouldn’t hurt either.
The offseason is still young, but names are beginning to fly off the board, which means Texas is going to have to operate with some urgency if it wants to remain competitive with the Seattle Mariners and Houston Astros in the American League West division. So even with this move if the books, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the Rangers remain active over the upcoming weeks.
Owen Crisafulli Owen Crisafulli is a Breaking News Writer at Heavy. In addition to writing for Heavy, Owen works as a Content Producer for More Views Media. His work has also appeared on ClutchPoints, The Sporting News, Athlon Sports, Basketball Network, and FanSided, where he shared his insights on a variety of sports topics primarily surrounding the NFL, NBA, and MLB. More about Owen Crisafulli
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