FINISHED DEAL: Rangers have sign a world veteran catcher as free agent who terminate his contract in search of playing time and also to improve the team performances

Top Underappreciated Free Agent

Finding under-the-radar gems in free agency is always fun … unless it’s your free agent. A key piece to the Texas Rangers winning the first World Series championship in franchise history could be on the way out. Even if he’s under the radar. MLB.com published a list of underappreciated free agents who could deliver big for their new clubs. The seven chosen are not on the list of top 25 free agents, as ranked by MLB.com reporter Mark Feinsand, so obviously free agents like Shohei Ohtani, Cody Bellinger, Blake Snell and Yoshinobu Yamamoto aren’t included.

But sitting at the top is Mitch Garver, who served as the backup catcher to Jonah Heim and was the primary designated hitter during the Rangers’ magical playoff run. MLB.com breaks down Garver’s situation: Why he’s under the radar: It’s hard to say Garver is truly “under the radar” when he just won a World Series as a regular with the Rangers, but he might be undervalued due to his injury history and lack of a position. Garver last played at least 100 games in a season back in 2018, and he made only 42 defensive appearances behind the plate during his two seasons with Texas. As far as the interest from other clubs, Garver provides lots of upside: Why he’s intriguing: Garver’s recent production at the plate rivals some of the top bats in this year’s free-agent class.

In fact, among current free agents, only Shohei Ohtani has posted a higher OPS+ over the past five seasons than Garver (130). The 32-year-old finished 2023 with a 134 OPS+, and there was nothing fluky about his performance – he ranked in the 83rd percentile or better in barrel rate (83rd), expected slugging percentage (85th), expected wOBA (87th), walk rate (90th) and chase rate (98th). And while Garver saw most of his playing time as Texas’ designated hitter in 2022 and ‘23, that was mostly because he shared a roster with superior defensive backstops such as Jonah Heim and Austin Hedges during that time. Although he may never be a Gold Glove Award contender behind the plate, Garver has the potential to provide considerable value to a roster while splitting time between the catcher and DH spots, especially in a free-agent group that lacks attractive catching options.

Garver doesn’t appear to be a focus for the Rangers in free agency, with pitching at the top of the list. Bringing back Jordan Montgomery and adding to the bullpen (Josh Hader?) are priorities, but DH is a need and Garver has delivered, so a return hasn’t been shot down.