How will Rangers rebuild depth at catcher?

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By the end of the 2023 season, the Rangers sneakily had one of the best catching rooms in MLB. Catching coordinator Bobby Wilson ran the cohort composed of Jonah Heim, Mitch Garver and Austin Hedges flawlessly as the trio provided ample production on both sides of the ball.

That group is down to one, with Garver heading to Seattle and Hedges leaving for Cleveland in free agency. The loss of Garver’s bat will no doubt loom large, and with both him and a defense-first catcher in Hedges gone, the catching depth chart is now noticeably thin.

Heim, the 2023 American League All-Star starter behind the plate, caught 124 games last season and carried a heavy workload interrupted only by a two-week trip to the injured list in August. Garver started 27 games behind the plate, and Hedges appeared in 15 after being acquired from the Pirates at the Trade Deadline.

Heim is an old-school workhorse, but the Rangers no doubt need depth behind the plate.

“I think that Jonah is one of the best catchers in the game,” said general manager Chris Young at the Winter Meetings. “He had a phenomenal year. We're so fortunate to have a catcher of his caliber as our No. 1. That said, I think we have to continue to make sure we protect him. We need to keep him healthy and manage his workload. He's a switch-hitter, so technically, there's a real reason for him to be in the lineup every day.

“But everybody has to keep in mind in terms of managing Jonah’s overall body of work [that] he continues to mature and grow. His game calling has improved so much, as well as his leadership behind the plate.”

With six weeks left until Spring Training, Sam Huff -- who turns 26 next Sunday -- is the only other catcher on the 40-man roster. Huff has slashed .262/.314/.462 in 75 big league games between 2020-23, but he has never gotten consistent at-bats in the Majors.

In 68 games at Triple-A Round Rock in 2023, Huff hit .298 with a .947 OPS.

“[We’re pleased] with what Sam did in Triple-A,” Young said. “I think that the one thing that we probably didn't do a good enough job of -- and part of it was just the up-and-down nature of his season -- but he truly didn't catch that many games.

“I think there's more experience to be gained in terms of just his overall catching. That said, he may get that in the big leagues, maybe in Triple-A again. We will see how the offseason plays out. But Sam has put himself in a tremendous spot in terms of his success and the way he played in Triple-A.”

Whether or not Huff begins the season as Heim’s backup, the Rangers will need more depth options. The only question is if that materializes in big league deals or Minor League signings for players to try to make the squad out of camp.

The catching market isn’t exactly flooded with options this offseason, but the Rangers aren’t asking for much in a backup catcher.

“We want to make sure we have ample backup options to protect [Heim] to give him blows when necessary, while also providing a high-quality level of performance to help us win,” Young said.