MLB insider links Rangers' old World Series champion catcher to in-state rivals

Never thought the rumors would get to this but Jonah Heim might make sense as an addition to the Texas Rangers' fiercest rivals in the Lone Star State.

After being non-tendered in November, Heim is looking for a new place to call home. He's been linked to a handful of teams, including the Tampa Bay Rays, Pittsburgh Pirates and Philadelphia Phillies. Another name on that list according to Bleacher Report's Joel Reuter is the Houston Astros.

Heim linked as an ideal landing spot for the Astros in 2026

The 30-year-old Heim is coming off one of the worst seasons of his big league career. In 124 games, Heim hit just .213 with 11 home runs and 43 RBIs as the Rangers' primary backstop alongside Kyle Higashioka.

Heim's decline over the last two seasons were the reasons Texas opted to release him instead of offer him the $6 million arbitration figure for 2026.

Hard to imagine the Astros would choose Heim over trying to re-sign Caratini, who hit over 40 points higher than Heim, it actually does make a little bit of sense that Houston would be interested in Heim. It's been a few years since he's been the top of his game but he was one of the best at his position.

During his All-Star, Gold Glove season in 2023, Heim batted .258 with 18 home runs, 95 RBIs and 28 doubles. But his true value came from his defense, who sat within the top 10 percentile in fielding run value, caught stealing and framing.

While those numbers aren't jumping off the page anymore, he still caught over 120 games in 2025 for one of the best pitching staffs in Major League Baseball.

It also helps that Houston is not looking for a primary catcher, just someone to share reps or take more of a backseat to Yainer Diaz. Diaz has a pretty good handle of the pitching staff and Heim has a history of being good at communicating with pitchers.