ARLINGTON -- The offseason always brings about questions for the following year.
Some of the Rangers’ offseason questions already have been answered -- the biggest of which was Skip Schumaker being introduced as manager. There’s a lot more to be answered before pitchers and catchers report. But before they do, you need to know who your catchers are going to be.
The Rangers’ catching situation is fraught, to say the least.
Jonah Heim has had two straight down years after an All-Star season in 2023 and while backup Kyle Higashioka contributed well enough, with a slash line of .241/.291/.403 this year, he’s not likely to catch the majority of games in 2026, the last of his two-year deal.
Heim’s regression has been staggering:
2023: .258/.317/.438 (107 wRC+)
2024: .220/.267/.336 (72 wRC+)
2025: .213/.271/.332 (69 wRC+)
Heim went from winning a Gold Glove in 2023 to -7 defensive runs saved and regressing in almost every facet of his game.
“Obviously, we have a decision to make on Jonah, his third time arbitration eligible,” said general manager Ross Fenstermaker. “We will spend some time going through personnel decisions here in the short term, and then we'll also continue to pursue avenues via Minor League free agency or additional to reinforce the [catching] group come Spring Training. It's still a determination that we need to make, but we're going to go through our roster and evaluate, figure out how we come out on that.”
How can the Rangers improve behind the plate in 2026? It won’t be easy.
External additions
The best catcher on the open market is likely to be J.T. Realmuto, a soon-to-be 35-year-old who is coming off a 2.5 bWAR season in Philadelphia. Other names like Victor Caratini and Danny Jansen, or even old friend Mitch Garver, could be intriguing.
But with the front office stating its desire to get younger all over the field, it’s unclear whether any free agent catchers will be on the Rangers’ radar. They might have to make a trade to fill out the depth. That will be difficult, given how the farm system is laid out these days.
That being said, the Rangers have done well acquiring players on the margins to round out the roster. On Wednesday, the claimed Willie MacIver off waivers, adding to the catching depth in the organization.
Maclver hit just .186 across 33 games with the A’s in 2025 and hasn’t gotten extended time at the big league level despite slashing .362/.426/.541 with Triple-A Las Vegas.
Internal prospects
Malcolm Moore -- the club’s No. 11 prospect, per MLB Pipeline -- hasn’t gained traction in two professional seasons, thanks to a hand injury. He spent most of 2025 in High-A and likely wouldn’t be a Major League option going into 2026, anyway.
Moore is the only catcher ranked in Texas’ Top 30, and the upper levels of the Minors aren’t overflowing with catching depth. Ian Moller -- the club’s 2021 fourth-round Draft pick -- made it to Double-A this season, but the 23-year-old has a career slash line of .202/.335/.305. Cooper Johnson, 27, posted a .680 OPS between Double-A Frisco and Triple-A Round Rock, and Tucker Mitchell, 24, had a .462 OPS between those same teams.
To put it simply, there aren’t many internal options.
Run it back with Higgy and Heim
Catchers coach Bobby Wilson won’t be returning on Schumaker’s staff, and there’s likely to be a shakeup in the hitting department, as well. So -- at the very least -- the Rangers will have new voices in the room to try to improve at the position.
It certainly won’t be Plan A. The Rangers need another catcher.