Texas Rangers: Who are the best free agent catcher options remaining?

If the Texas Rangers are looking to upgrade at catcher this offseason, which remaining free agents are the best options moving forward?

After the Texas Rangers catching crew put out a historically bad offensive season in 2019, the club is likely looking at possible upgrades this offseason. The top catcher available in free agency this offseason was Yasmani Grandal but he signed a deal with the White Sox what seems like ages ago. Other notables like Travis D’Arnaud, Martin Maldonado and Yan Gomes have also already signed contracts leaving the options a bit slim. Still, because of how poor the Rangers were behind the dish in 2019, almost anybody would represent an upgrade. Anybody brought in would likely be to replace Jeff Mathis who hit an abysmal .158 last season with a .433 OPS. Jose Trevino emerged as a legitimate option at the end of 2019 but finding a suitable partner for the young backstop should be a priority for Texas before Spring Training.

Jason Castro

Jason Castro joins Chirinos as far and away the top two options still available in free agency this offseason. Castro has spent the last three seasons with the Twins and represents a slightly younger alternative to Chirinos. The knock though in the case of the Rangers is that Castro is a left-handed hitter which Texas already has plenty of at this point. However, at catcher, this concern is lessened because Castro and Trevino could split time revolving heavily around whether Texas is facing a lefty or righty on the mound that day.

Castro posted a 1.6 fWAR last season in 79 games and showed some impressive pop with 13 home runs. His .767 OPS isn’t quite to the level of Chirinos but it far exceeds what the Rangers saw last season. What Castro lacks in offense compared to Chirinos he makes up for with his glove finishing 26th among catchers in Fielding Runs Above Average last season at 3.5 according to Baseball Prospectus. Considering Jeff Mathis was brought in to be a defensive catcher and how poor his defensive metrics have actually been, Castro would be a massive upgrade on both sides of the ball. Castro also would be a better candidate for a multi-year deal if Texas believes he can form a solid tandem with Jose Trevino.

Russell Martin

Russell Martin, like Chirinos, represents a more veteran option who could be effective on a short term deal. Like Castro, he’d be a massive upgrade defensively while putting up respectable offensive numbers. He spent 2019 with the Dodgers, playing 83 games, 60 of which were behind the plate. He hit .220 with a  .667 OPS meaning he wouldn’t quite be the influence at the plate that Chirinos or Castro would be. However, defensively he was superb last season, helping him to a 1.2 fWAR, the 14th straight season he’s posted fWAR of 1.0 or better.

Martin finished 17th among catchers in FRAA in 2019 at 6.2, edging out the aforementioned Jason Castro. He’s a right-handed hitter which adds a little value for the Rangers and would be a good candidate on a one-year deal to help give the club more time to find a long-term solution. The question for a guy like Martin is whether he’d come to a team like Texas that could compete, but isn’t really a contender at this point when he’s in this stage of his career. He’s likely to draw interest from legit contenders and whereas Chirinos could forego contending to come back to a club where he’s loved, there is no such connection for Martin.