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Texas Rangers: What’s on their post-lockout to-do list

By Eric Treuden

NEW YORK, NY - JUNE 24: A Texas Rangers batting helmet in the dugout before a game against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium on June 24, 2017 in the Bronx borough of New York City. The Rangers defeated the Yankees 8-1. (Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - JUNE 24: A Texas Rangers batting helmet in the dugout before a game against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium on June 24, 2017 in the Bronx borough of New York City. The Rangers defeated the Yankees 8-1. (Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images) /
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PHILADELPHIA, PA – AUGUST 26: Carson Kelly #18 of the Arizona Diamondbacks in action against the Philadelphia Phillies during a game at Citizens Bank Park on August 26, 2021 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA – AUGUST 26: Carson Kelly #18 of the Arizona Diamondbacks in action against the Philadelphia Phillies during a game at Citizens Bank Park on August 26, 2021 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images) /

The Texas Rangers could use an upgrade behind the plate

FanGraphs’ Roster Resource projection has the Rangers entering 2022 with Jonah Heim and Jose Trevino as the starting and backup catcher with Sam Huff also on the 40-man roster, not to mention Yohel Pozo and Meibrys Viloria available as depth at the club’s Triple-A affiliate.

While this is certainly not the worst bunch of catchers in the league, there is room for improvement. For starters, Heim and Trevino are both poor offensive contributors and both ranked low on the CS% (Caught Stealing Percentage) leaderboards amongst qualified catchers in 2021. Huff is still considered a prospect worth being excited about, but he seems to fit best as a first baseman going forward. Pozo and Viloria are pure depth pieces that should only see big league time if multiple injuries arise.

As far as which catchers are available, it has been well documented that the free agent catching market is very thin as the best available free agent catchers are Kurt Suzuki, Austin Romine, and Robinson Chirinos. The trade market doesn’t look a whole lot better but there are some interesting fits on paper, including Mitch Garver of the Twins and Carson Kelly of the Diamondbacks.

Garver, now 31, has only appeared in over 100 games once since his debut in 2017. Through the parts of five seasons he’s had in the big leagues, injuries have been an issue for him as he has missed significant time in each of the last three seasons. When Garver is on, he is to be viewed as a legitimate offensive threat, as shown in 2019 when he popped off and hit 31 home runs to go along with a .365 OBP, a .630 SLG%, a .995 OPS, and a 157 OPS+, an excellent season for Garver all around. His performance has dipped a little bit as he has battled through the previously mentioned injuries, but his .320 BABIP in 2021 as well as his 2.2 oWAR suggest that there may be more success left in the tank if you’re able to look past the surface numbers on his stat line.

Kelly, 27, has parts of six MLB seasons under his belt and has gotten better and better as time has gone by. In 2021, Kelly put up 1.8 oWAR and a career-high 0.9 dWAR. While neither of those numbers make him an elite-level talent, his .270 BABIP, 103 wRC+ and .328 wOBA suggest that he, like Garver, has better numbers once you move past the surface-level stats. Kelly is more of a complete player than Jonah Heim or Jose Trevino. He has double-digit home run power, draws his fair share of walks, and is around league-average on defense. He seems to be the best fit should the Rangers be able to find a way to trade for him.

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