Stallings returns to Rockies on deal with option for '26
This browser does not support the video element.
DENVER – Hoping to build on a bounce-back 2024 season, catcher Jacob Stallings on Wednesday re-signed with the Rockies on a one-year contract that includes a mutual option for 2026.
The deal guarantees Stallings $2 million, while the option is worth $2 million and carries a $500,000 buyout, a source told MLB.com's Mark Feinsand. The club hasn't confirmed the value of the deal.
Stallings, who turns 35 on Dec. 22, set full-season career highs in batting (.263), OBP (.357), slugging (.453), OPS (.810) and home runs (nine) in essentially 50 percent of the playing time at the position.
Brought in to share time with veteran Elias Díaz in ‘24, Stallings will catch in tandem with a younger partner in ‘25. Hunter Goodman, a rookie last year, and Rockies No. 8 prospect Drew Romo received playing time in 2024, mostly after Díaz was released in mid-August (he finished the season with the Padres). Willie MacIver and Braxton Fulford will be vying to make their Major League debuts.
This browser does not support the video element.
A Gold Glove winner with the Pirates in 2021, Stallings has embraced catching in a shared role. Stallings turned down a mutual option after the season, but the plan was for him to re-sign.
“It was a fun year,” Stallings said. “The familiarity of knowing the guys and knowing the coaches and knowing the front office like that was a huge factor. My kids made friends, and you just build the relationships. That was a huge, huge draw to Denver. And, yeah, I felt great about my year.
“I would love to build on the offensive success that I had, and it really helped take that next step forward. It showed in our play toward the end of the year.”
Stallings also upheld his defensive reputation by throwing out a career-high 12 runners attempting to steal – 12th most among NL catchers, despite his part-time duty.