Across 73 games, the veteran slashed .204/.314/.389 with 11 home runs and a 98 wRC+. Nothing spectacular, but his 12.7% walk rate was top 30 in the majors with a minimum of 150 plate appearances.
While the Rays followed up their trade of Jansen for a deal to acquire Nick Fortes from Miami, their backup is Hunter Feduccia at the moment. The former Dodgers prospect was traded to Tampa for two prospects and catcher Ben Rortvedt, but didn’t establish himself as a viable No. 2 catcher.
Adding Jansen gives the Rays organization, and their pitching staff, a familiar face and sizeable upgrade at C2. As a team, they ranked 28th in fWAR and wRC+ from their catchers. The four non-Jansen catchers combined for a 49 wRC+ and -0.6 fWAR in 353 plate appearances.
Washington Nationals
The 2026 season is the fifth full season of Keibert Ruiz in D.C., but he’s regressed every single year of his career.
In 2025, he had a very good April, slashing .301/.351/.398 with a 112 wRC+ through his first 111 plate appearances. However, his final 156 yielded a 32 wRC+ before a concussion ended his season in July. Drew Millas gave them 18 solid games to lead the position group in fWAR (0.9), but adding an established veteran like Jansen may do the organization some good.
It’s hard to get a gauge on how Washington feels about Ruiz, a player headlining the return for Max Scherzer and Trea Turner in 2021. He’s only 27, so perhaps they want to continue to develop him.