The Texas Rangers are on the verge of “going Higgy with it.”
Kyle Higashioka, the former San Diego Padres catcher, is set to join the 2023 World Series champions, as per the report by USA Today’s Bob Nightengale announced on Monday.
The agreement seems to have been swiftly put together, with Nightengale unveiling his findings shortly after MLB Network’s Jon Morosi declared that the Rangers were making strides in securing his services.
Higashioka is en route to the Rangers with a two-year deal and a mutual option for 2027, according to Nightengale. The financial details have not been disclosed yet.
Higashioka played in 84 games for San Diego in 2024, achieving a career-best of 17 home runs in his 34th year. This helped balance out a disappointing .263 on-base percentage. Prior to joining the Padres in the trade that saw Juan Soto move to the New York Yankees, Higashioka spent portions of seven seasons with New York, dividing his time with Jose Trevino in 2022 and 2023.
The news about Higashioka follows a challenging season for the regular Rangers catcher, Jonah Heim. After hitting .258 with a .755 OPS in 2023, Heim struggled with a .220 batting average and a weak .602 OPS this year.
“We’ve all experienced declines,” stated Rangers manager Bruce Bochy to the press in September. “I know we’ve had a few [players] this year who have not performed up to their usual standards, like Jonah, both defensively and offensively.”
Consequently, the Rangers were a shadow of their former World Champion selves as they tried to defend their title, ultimately finishing third in the AL West with a 78-84 record.
The impact of Kyle Higashioka on the Texas Rangers
Higashioka has never reached the milestone of catching 100 games in his career and is now in his mid-30s. However, this probably did not significantly diminish his value in a limited free agent pool at his position. In just 448 total at-bats over the last two seasons, he accumulated more WAR than any other free agent catcher (2.9).
According to Statcast evaluations, he is considered an above-average pitch framer and has a solid reputation for his interactions with the pitching staff. Nevertheless, his pop time has gradually increased with age, and he ranks below average as a pitch blocker. Nonetheless, Nightengale remarks that “Higashioka is admired for his defensive prowess.”
His proficiency in hitting home runs and his skill behind the plate enabled him to surpass Luis Campusano as the Padres’ primary catcher in 2024. Higashioka also performed well in the postseason, hitting three home runs and a double across the Padres’ seven playoff fixtures.
Image Source: Kyle Higashioka @ Instagram
