In terms of name recognition, the Atlanta Braves arguably had the top catching duo in Major League Baseball already coming into the season.
National League Rookie of the Year Drake Baldwin looks primed to establish himself as a future All-Star behind the plate. But the Braves also have a one-time All-Star in Sean Murphy, who is opening the year on the injured list after recovering from hip surgery at the end of the regular season.
Due to that injury timeline for Murphy, the Braves have reportedly added another well-known catcher to the major league roster ahead of spring training: former Texas Rangers World Series champion Jonah Heim.
Mark Bowman of MLB.com was the first to report Tuesday that Heim was at spring training camp in Florida with the Braves on the first day of official team workouts. Chris Cotillo of MassLive then reported that Heim had agreed to a one-year, major league deal.
Heim was one of several members of the 2023 Rangers who put together career years, then struggled to replicate their production in the two seasons after winning a title. He posted a 106 OPS+, won a Gold Glove, and was selected to the All-Star team in 2023, but his OPS+ over 255 games in the next two seasons was just 76.
Because he was due to receive a salary increase in his final year of arbitration control, the Rangers non-tendered Heim in November, alongside fellow World Series holdovers Adolis GarcÃa and Josh Sborz. Sborz later returned to Texas on a minor-league deal.
Receiving a major league contract at this point in the offseason has to be considered a win for Heim, and although he’ll enter the regular season as the clear backup to Baldwin, he’ll try to make the most of his playing time and perhaps establish himself as a trade candidate when Murphy returns.
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