Rangers Sign Free Agent Catcher Kyle Higashioka

By Nate Miller

Photo by Matt Thomas/San Diego Padres/Getty Images

December 2, 2024

Less than a week away from the 2024 Winter Meetings, the Texas Rangers have rippled the water by signing Kyle Higashioka. News of the development was first reported by Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News. The deal comes one week after the Rangers announced their coaching staff for the 2025 season under third-year manager Bruce Bochy.

The Rangers’ pact with the free agent catcher is for two years, covering the 2025 and 2026 seasons. The deal is worth $13.5 million guaranteed, and it includes a mutual option for 2027 worth $7 million and a $1 million buyout.

What He Brings to Arlington

The 34-year-old backstop batted .220/.263/.476/.739 (54-for-246). He set career highs with 17 home runs, 45 RBI, and 29 runs over 84 games for the San Diego Padres in 2024. Kyle Higashioka nabbed 13 of 65 attempted base stealers for a 20.0% caught stealing percentage. That was good enough for fourth among NL catchers with at least 75 starts. Prior to his one-year stint with the Padres, Higashioka spent his first 16 professional campaigns in the Yankees organization.

Higashioka made his major league debut for the New York Yankees in 2017 following 10 seasons in the minors, which matched the club record for longest gap from draft to debut by a player drafted by and debuting with the team. He was dealt by the Yankees to the Padres on December 7, 2023 as part of the trade that sent Juan Soto to the Bronx. At the time of the trade, Higashioka stood as the longest-tenured player in the Yankees organization.

Building up His Resume

Since the shortened 2020 season, Higashioka has made five consecutive Opening Day rosters. He has appeared in the postseason four times. He has four postseason home runs. Higashioka caught the 24th perfect game in major league history, authored by the Yankees’ Domingo Germán on June 28, 2023 against the Oakland Athletics, as well as Corey Kluber’s no-hitter on May 19, 2021 against his new team at Globe Life Field, becoming the 13th backstop in major league history to catch both a perfect game and no-hitter.

A native of Huntington Beach, California, Higashioka owns a career .212/.255/.412/.668 (234-for-1104). Additionally, he has 57 home runs in 398 career games spanning eight seasons with the Yankees (2017-23) and Padres (2024). His 28.4 catcher framing runs since 2019 are the seventh most in the majors over that span, according to Fangraphs. He was originally selected by the Yankees in the seventh round of the 2008 Draft from Edison High School.