Without Heim, the Rangers are down to two catchers on their 40-man roster. Kyle Higashioka is a solid player, but he will be 36 years old in April. He started between 68 and 77 games in four consecutive seasons. He could be part of the club’s catching corps next year, but would need someone to share the workload. The other catcher on the roster is Willie McIvera 29-year-old waiver claimant with 33 games of experience in the big league. He is still optionable and would ideally be in Triple-A as depth.
Realmuto would definitely be a nice addition. He might be the best catcher in baseball over the last decade. He’s now about to turn 35 years old and isn’t yet at his peak, but he’s still a solid contributor. In 2025, he had average offense, stole eight bases and received mixed reviews for his glovework. All told, it was worth 2.1 wins above replacement, according to FanGraphs. Over the past three years, he has averaged just over two wins per year.
Although he is the top free agent, his earning potential is limited by his age. MLBTR projected him a $30 million guarantee over two years. It is possible that he can insure himself for a third year at a comparable average annual value. The fact that such a deal is too rich for the Rangers’ blood does not bode well, but they will have other options.
Mention both columns linked above Victor Caratini And Danny Jansen are more realistic goals for free agents. MLBTR projected Caratini to a two-year, $14 million deal and had Jansen as an honorable mention on its Top 50 Free Agents list. The 32-year-old Caratini played with the Astros for the past two years. The switch-hitter was above average on both ends during those years, although his defense was more questionable. Jansen, a righty swinger, was also decent at the plate in 2025, but with some shaky defensive attributes.
There is also the trading market. Both columns mentioned above speculate about various possible trading partners. Grant shouts specifically Carter Jensen of the Royals as a player the Rangers have long been interested in. Jensen is one of the Royals’ top players and one of the best catchers in the game. He hit .290/.377/.501 in the minors this year and then .300/.391/.550 in a 20-game Major League debut. He just turned 22 in July.
The Royals probably aren’t that interested in trading him, though there are at least reasons to consider it. They have Salvador Perez signed through 2027. He has spent more time as a first baseman and design hitter in recent years, but still played about 90 games a year for Kansas City. Jensen could share catching duties with Perez, but the Royals also have another strong catching prospect lurking. Blake Mitchell was the eighth overall pick in 2023 and will likely start at Double-A in 2026.
Since the Royals need upgrades and don’t appear to have much spending power, they might consider trading from a position of relative depth, but that doesn’t mean they would give away Jensen. Grant speculates that the Rangers may have to give up a prospect of similar value, such as Sebastian Walcott.
There are a few other options available for the Rangers. Grant also speculates that they could pursue a short-term solution, such as Ryan Jeffers of the Gemini or Joey Bart of the Pirates. The Rangers used their 2024 first-round pick to take Malcolm Moore but he’s struggled at the plate and hasn’t climbed higher than High-A, so he won’t be helpful for a while. Jeffers is only under control for one year and Bart is under control for two years, so a player like that could serve as a bridge to Moore or at least buy the Rangers at some point.
Time will tell how the Rangers specifically handle the sticky situation, but the bigger takeaway about the budget may not be great for fans. For a few months now, signs have been mounting that the club will not have much spending capacity to build out its roster for 2026. In September, the club parted ways with manager Bruce Bochy. At the time, president of baseball operations Chris Young stated that part of the reason for that split was that they did not have a clear plan for 2026 due to financial uncertainty. Pitching coach Mike Maddux left for the Angels and there is speculation that this could have been prompted by similar circumstances. The Rangers didn’t tender Heim either Adolis Garcia, Josh Sborz And Jacob Webb. García was expected, but Sborz and Webb were expected to get salaries barely above the league minimum. Then the club acted Marcus Semien to the Mets for Brandon Nimmoa move that raised more money overall but saved them a few million annually.
After the deal, Nimmo said he was assured by the Rangers that they are not rebuilding and plan to compete, but it appears they will try to do so while spending less. Grid source expects to spend about $169 million next year. That’s well below last year’s $224 million. In addition to strengthening their catching group, they need to rebuild the bullpen and shake up the lineup. Their seeming inability to go after Realmuto may be a bit of a moot point in some ways as many expect him to re-sign in Philadelphia anyway, but it appears to be yet another sign of a tight budget in Texas for 2026.
Photo courtesy of Kyle Ross, Imagn Images
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