How Danny Jansen’s late season surge changed Rangers catcher calculus

When the Rangers went out and signed Danny Jansen to a 2-year, $14.5 million contract before the 2026 season, they hoped they were getting a starting catcher who could provide more power than they had been getting from Jonah Heim in 2024 and 2025.

Unfortunately, Jansen missed 64 games earlier in the 2026 season due to a right forearm/elbow strain sustained in early June, and he missed most of the season rehabbing. When he was able to return in mid-August, he showed signs that he could be that front-line backstop by slashing .257/.329/.500 in 26 games to finish the season. He also smacked 5 jacks and drove in 14 runs over the last six weeks.

Chris Young is in attendance at the MLB GMs meeting in Las Vegas, and Jansen's late-season surge may have changed what his approach will be regarding the catcher position.

Danny Jansen may have altered Chris Young's approach at catcher with his strong finish in 2026

The Rangers didn't get what they were hoping for from the catcher spot, both at the plate and defensively, last season. Jansen got off to a terrible start before being sidelined, and backup Kyle Higashioka also underperformed before succumbing to his own long-term injury.

By the time the calendar hit mid-June, Skip Schumaker was working with free-agent signees Elias Diaz and Austin Wynns as his regular catchers. They filled in admirably, but they were short-term stopgap measures. Neither is expected to return to the roster in 2027.

So that leaves a clear path for Jansen to give it another try as the main backstop heading into spring training. The veteran can pair with trade-deadline acquisition Logan O'Hoppe to fill out the position.

Given Texas's budget restrictions, this is a preferred path to spending significant money on free agents Ryan Jeffers and Tyler Stephenson, both of whom have been bandied about as potential fits in Arlington.

Nonetheless, the question remains whether Young and Schumaker saw enough from Jansen when he returned fully healthy to trust him as the top guy behind the plate. Was it enough to affect Young's calculus on how the organization goes into the GM meetings, where he will be able to explore what could be on the table in the way of a trade?

He has said that he wants to get a better look at O'Hoppe handling the pitching staff, so he can play a larger role moving forward. Still, it is Jansen that the team has invested a nice chunk of change in, and they will give him every opportunity to prove that he can still put together his typical 12-14-homer, 50-RBI season playing 80 to 100 games.

It will be interesting to see how aggressive Young is in general this week in Las Vegas, but how he handles the team's underachieving catching corps from 2026 will be something to keep an eye on over the next few days and throughout the winter.

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