Top 5 MLB Free Agent Catchers For 2025

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October baseball is in the air, meaning the offseason isn’t far behind. We’re identifying the top MLB free agents teams could target this winter by taking a data-driven approach to this year’s crop of players.

Below, you can find our breakdown of the top five free agent catchers in the 2025 class, including three-year season averages in several key metrics. We will release new position groups in the coming days.

Our list leverages work from MLB Trade Rumors for the list of free agents, as well as FanGraphs, Baseball Prospectus and Baseball Reference for player win values above baseline, Baseball Savant and Baseball Prospectus for defensive data and FanGraphs for all other data. We encourage our readers and subscribers to consider subscribing to FanGraphs and Baseball Prospectus as well.

SEE THE LIST

1. Danny Jansen

A healthy Jansen is a top-tier free agent. However, Jansen has never had a fully healthy season and has never accumulated more than 385 plate appearances. The 2022 version of Jansen was an incredible player. He posted above-average exit velocities, combined with an optimized swing leading to a tremendous 141 wRC+. This year, his exit velocities cratered across the board (90th percentile, average and maximum), leading to a decent but still four-year low 90 wRC+ at the time of writing.

Jansen has the talent to be a very good hitter if he can get healthy. While we have him as the top-ranked catcher, a team may see an opportunity to get a 1B/DH, with the hope that removing the rigors of catching helps him recapture his 2022 form and keep him on the field, with the bonus of having a fantastic emergency catcher should the situation call for it.

2. Kyle Higashioka

Higashioka’s 17 home runs have come in only 263 plate appearances, which is about what he’s accrued each of the last three years. Given his age, it’s unlikely that a potential suitor would expect more than that. However, even with a small workload, he’s a sure bet to provide enough defensive value and double-digit home runs that he’ll contribute to a team’s success. He makes a ton of sense for almost any team out there, but especially so for a win-now team with a good No. 1 catcher option.

3. Gary Sanchez

Sanchez still has the 65-grade power that made him one of the most exciting young catchers in the game. He has also been a solid defender behind the dish, despite his early reputation with the Yankees. Given the power and solid approach, Sanchez still has that tantalizing potential of putting up a very good offensive season, though he’ll always be held back by his below-average contact skills. Let’s dig a little deeper:

Sanchez has roughly league-average chase rates, but he accomplishes that by swinging less. It’s important to never look at the chase and zone swing columns in isolation: one provides meaningful context for the other. When he connects, he hits the ball hard and in the air, but he might benefit from a slightly more aggressive approach, as he doesn’t draw enough walks to offset the wasted opportunities. This is a hard balance to tweak so late in a player’s career, but there’s potentially a great offensive season lurking here if a team can help him optimize his approach.

Per Baseball Savant, Sanchez has gone from a first-pitch swing percent of 25% in 2022, to 17.6% in 2023 and 14.5% in 2024. His overall swing% has declined from the 44% range to 41%. He would perhaps benefit from jumping on more first pitches, either closer to his career norm, or the MLB average of 30%.

4. Yasmani Grandal

I think the Pirates will find a way to retain Grandal, as he’s a great fit for their young rotation. He provides just enough with the bat that his excellent defense and game calling makes him more valuable than the raw wins would indicate. He also buys time for either Henry Davis or Endy Rodriguez to figure things out.

5. Jacob Stallings

A career year, or a new level of performance? A Coors Field mirage, or a fine wine improving with age? Stallings had a 98 wRC+ on the road this season compared to a 133 at Coors, so his ascendance has more going on than just his home ballpark. From 2019 through 2021, Stallings was a decent hitter, running an OPS above .700 in each season, followed by two terrible seasons in Miami. His resurgence in Colorado suggests that he may have recaptured his Pirates form and should be able to produce a wRC+ of around 85 to 90, with solid defense behind the dish.