COMFIRMED: Rangers sign former longtime Cardinals catcher…

The Texas Rangers have inked a deal with catcher Andrew Knizner, according to Jon Heyman of The New York Post. The 29-year-old, who is represented by CAA Sports, will be earning a salary of $1.825 million with his new team.

This marks a significant change for Knizner, who, for the first time in his professional career, will be part of an organization other than the St. Louis Cardinals. Drafted by the Cardinals in 2016, he spent his entire career with the club until his non-tender in November 2023. Known as a bat-first catcher as he ascended the minor league ranks, there were uncertainties surrounding his defensive capabilities.

Despite making brief appearances in the majors over the past five seasons, Knizner struggled to secure significant playing time with the Cardinals, largely due to the presence of Yadier Molina as the primary backstop until his retirement. The subsequent signing of Willson Contreras further limited Knizner’s opportunities. While his offensive performance in the 2019–2022 period left something to be desired, the 2023 season showed some promise. Knizner recorded 10 home runs in 241 plate appearances, though his 5% walk rate and 25.7% strikeout rate were slightly below average. His overall batting line of.241/.288/.424 translated to a wRC+ of 92, 8% below league average but within expectations for a catcher.

However, concerns about Knizner’s defensive skills persisted. With a career Defensive Runs Saved tally of -18 and unfavorable framing assessments from FanGraphs, Baseball Prospectus, and Statcast, his glovework has been consistently questioned. Despite being considered a decent blocker by Statcast, his throwing game is deemed subpar.

The Rangers, having lost their bat-first backup catcher Mitch Garver to free agency, have secured Knizner to complement primary catcher Jonah Heim. While they still have Sam Huff on the roster, both Knizner and Huff have an option year remaining, providing flexibility for the Rangers to utilize them in the minors as needed.

With four years and 21 days of service time, Knizner remains eligible for arbitration in 2025, giving the Rangers the option to retain him if he performs well. Furthermore, a strategic option assignment could potentially extend the team’s control over Knizner for an additional year. Despite his mixed major league results, Knizner has showcased strong offensive capabilities in the minors, batting.303/.369/.461 throughout his minor league career. Additionally, his late transition to catching in college suggests ongoing development of his defensive skills.