After being surprisingly non-tendered by the Texas Rangers on Friday night, World Series winning catcher Jonah Heim is now available on the free agent market.

The Red Sox have clearly been looking for youthful catching depth in the organization, as evidenced by multiple moves this offseason, but Heim could be a real answer at the big-league level. They could at least give him a call to gauge his interest.

Let's examine the layers to this below:

The Heim file

Now 30 years old, Heim has spent six years in the big leagues with the Oakland Athletics and Rangers. A lifetime .225 hitter, he has real power, as evidenced by his 68 home runs through six seasons (five as a regular).

He was an All-Star and a World Series champion in 2023 when he hit .258 with 18 homers and 95 RBIs. He's also a switch-hitter, which bumps up his value.

He hit just .214 as a lefty though and .210 as a righty in 2025, so whoever signs him will have to hope his offense returns.

He had a .213 average in total with 11 home runs. His OPS+ was just 77.

Why the Red Sox should call

1) The Red Sox are looking to up their floor in 2026. After getting to the American League wild card round, Boston wants to expand its chances to win the division next season, and Heim's power and big-game experience can only be a good thing.

2) The current Red Sox backup, Connor Wong, hit .190 last season with no home runs. Boston got nothing out of him in 2025, so again, Heim would raise the floor.

3) Switch-hitters are valuable and would allow Alex Cora to play the matchups more often, something he likes to do.

Why it's a tough sell

1) The Red Sox just avoided arbitration Wong, paying him just over $1 million to stay on the roster. While $1 million is not a lot of money, it's not nothing. If the Red Sox were to sign Heim, would they eat the money on Wong and release him? Could they trade him? It's unclear.

2) Though Heim's numbers were down this season, he may very well view himself as a starter still. Would he want to come to a place where he's definitely a backup? Or does he want to go someplace where he can start, even if its on a team that doesn't figure to be as good?

3) The money for Heim could be tough. He was projected to make $6 million in arbitration. How much less than that will he really take in his next spot?

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