Danny Jansen’s finish to the 2026 season may have given the Rangers a reason to slow down at catcher.
Texas signed Jansen to a 2-year, $14.5 million deal before the 2026 season with the idea that he could be a starting catcher who brought more pop than Jonah Heim had provided in 2024 and 2025. That plan got knocked off course when Jansen missed 64 games after suffering a right forearm/elbow strain in early June, then spent much of the year rehabbing.
But once he returned in mid-August, Jansen looked much more like the player the Rangers had envisioned. Over his final 26 games, he hit .257/.329/.500, with 5 homers and 14 RBIs across the last six weeks.
That late push comes at an interesting moment, with Chris Young in Las Vegas for the MLB GMs meeting. Jansen’s strong finish could influence how Young approaches the catcher market this winter.
The Rangers didn’t get the production they wanted from the position in 2026, offensively or defensively. Jansen struggled badly before his injury, and backup Kyle Higashioka also fell short before going down with his own long-term injury.
By mid-June, Skip Schumaker was leaning on free-agent additions Elias Diaz and Austin Wynns as the regular catching duo. They steadied the spot, but only as a short-term fix, and neither is expected back in 2027.
That leaves Jansen with a clear opening to reclaim the job heading into spring training. He could team with trade-deadline pickup Logan O’Hoppe to handle the position, which would give Texas a cheaper route than diving into the free-agent market for Ryan Jeffers or Tyler Stephenson, both of whom have been mentioned as possible fits in Arlington.
The bigger question is whether Young and Schumaker saw enough from Jansen after he got healthy to trust him as the primary option. Young has said he wants a better look at O’Hoppe working with the pitching staff so he can take on a bigger role, but Jansen is still the player the Rangers committed real money to.
If he’s healthy, Texas will give him every chance to deliver the kind of season they expected all along: roughly 12-14 homers and 50 RBIs over 80 to 100 games.
How aggressively Young pursues outside help in Las Vegas will be worth watching, but the catcher situation - and Jansen’s place in it - is one of the key decisions hanging over the Rangers this winter.
In Other News...
Rangers Need A Center Field Answer But This Astros Fit Isnt It
The Rangers are still looking at center field through the lens of Evan Carters hip surgery, and that search has naturally led to plenty of outside names as the club tries to patch a major hole in the lineup. One of the more talked-about possibilities comes from Houston, where a left-handed defender with real athletic value has been floated as a possible answer, even if the fit is a little more complicated than it looks on paper.
Texas does have internal and free-agent paths to consider, from Cam Cauley in the system to Trent Grisham on the market, and those alternatives may make more sense depending on how the front office wants to balance defense, offense and cost. The bigger issue is not just finding a center fielder, but finding one who actually matches what the Rangers need, and this particular Astros connection does not seem to clear that bar cleanly. [Read more 🡒]
Skip Schumaker Earned Respect But Rangers Still Face One Big Hurdle
Skip Schumakers first season in Arlington gave the Rangers a real case to make in the American League Manager of the Year conversation. Texas stayed in the division hunt deep into the year, and Schumakers work drew enough attention that his name belonged in the discussion even if the hardware went elsewhere. The award instead went to Bruce Bochys former bench coach, now the Chicago White Sox manager, after he guided Chicago to a playoff berth in 2026.
For Schumaker, the bigger issue may be less about recognition than the path to getting it. The Baseball Writers Association of America has long leaned heavily on postseason appearances when it fills out its ballots, which means a close race alone is not always enough. If the Rangers want their manager to get serious award traction next time, the bar is likely to be higher than simply hanging around the race until the final week. [Read more 🡒]
Red Sox Fans May Appreciate Chris Martin Even More Now
Chris Martins career is reportedly coming to a close, and for Rangers fans, hell be remembered as one of those steady veteran arms who knew how to handle the late innings. Over 11 major league seasons, he carved out a reputation as a reliable reliever who moved through several organizations, including a pair of stops with the Red Sox and a stretch in Texas that gave him one more chance to matter in a big-league bullpen.
Boston fans may feel the news a little more personally because Martins second run there was the one that really stood out, especially his strong major league work in 2023 and 2024. He also leaves the game with a World Series ring from Atlanta in 2021, a fitting cap for a journeyman reliever whose career was built on persistence, adaptability and enough consistency to stick around for a long time. [Read more 🡒]