Rangers and catcher Kyle Higashioka agree to $13.5M, 2-year contract with mutual option for 2027

By The Associated Press

FILE - Los Angeles Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani, right, collides with San Diego Padres catcher Kyle Higashioka as he scores on a single by Teoscar Hernández during the fourth inning in Game 1 of baseball's NL Division Series, on Oct. 5, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)[ASSOCIATED PRESS/Mark J. Terrill]

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Free agent catcher Kyle Higashioka and the Texas Rangers have agreed on a $13.5 million, two-year contract that includes a mutual option for the 2027 season. Higashioka set career highs with 17 homers and 45 RBIs while playing 84 games this year in his only season with the Padres. San Diego acquired him last December from the Yankees in the blockbuster trade that sent Juan Soto to New York. The 34-year-old catcher spent his first seven big league seasons with the Yankees. He joins a Rangers team with switch-hitting catcher Jonah Heim, an All-Star and Gold Glove winner during the club’s World Series championship season in 2023.