Jonah Heim, for a while, seemed like he'd be the Texas Rangers' long-term answer at catcher.
As of Friday, Heim no longer even plays for the Rangers.
The Rangers chose not to tender Heim a contract before Friday's non-tender deadline. That means Heim goes immediately into free agency. ESPN's Jeff Passan reported the news.
Heim is a 30-year old, switch-hitting catcher.
He's originally from Amherst High School in the Buffalo area. The Baltimore Orioles chose him in the fourth round of the 2013 MLB Draft.
Heim made his MLB debut in the COVID-shortened 2020 season with the Oakland Athletics.
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He joined the Rangers for 2021, and by 2022, Heim was a regular.
In 2022, Heim batted.227 with 20 doubles and 16 homers.
His best season was 2023, when he was an All Star. He hit 28 doubles and 18 home runs. He drove in 95 runs, batted.258 and had a.755 OPS.
Heim regressed to.220 with 13 home runs and 59 RBI in 2024.
In 2025, Heim hit 11 homers, batted.213 and had a.602 OPS.
The tall Heim, who is 6-foot-4, may not be a particularly strong bet to age well as a catcher.
The Rangers have decided rather than go to salary arbitration with him, they'll let him go elsewhere.
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