Sep 24, 2025; San Diego, California, USA; Milwaukee Brewers catcher Danny Jansen (33) rounds the bases after hitting a solo home run during the ninth inning against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Denis Poroy-Imagn Images Denis Poroy-Imagn Images

Yankees Are Perfect Fit For Brewers Veteran Catcher

Originally posted on New York Yankees on SI
By Jack Markowski | Last updated Nov 2, 2025 7:41 AM ET

With Ben Rice expected to handle the New York Yankees' duties at first base on an everyday basis next season, the club should be in the market for catching help this offseason.

One name the Yankees could turn to is Danny Jansen, who they're plenty familiar with, as The Bergen Record's Pete Caldera listed him among the top seven free agents the team should target.

"Traded by the Tampa Bay Rays to the Milwaukee Brewers at the July 31 MLB deadline, Jansen earned $8.5 million in 2025 and has a $12 million mutual option for 2026," Caldera wrote.

"Jansen, 30, has played with three AL East teams, mostly with Toronto, and the Yankees should be seeking a solid catching complement to the lefty-hitting Austin Wells."

Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images

Yankees' History with Jansen

Jansen spent parts of seven seasons with the Toronto Blue Jays (2018 - 2024) to begin his big-league career and garnered a reputation as being somewhat of a Yankees killer.

The 30-year-old, who has been right around a league-average hitter during his time in the majors with a .726 OPS, has batted .255 with 10 home runs and an .875 OPS in 51 games against New York.

Jansen finished the 2024 campaign with the Boston Red Sox before signing with the Tampa Bay Rays last offseason. After posting a .703 OPS in 73 games with them, he was traded to the Milwaukee Brewers at the deadline and slashed .254/.346/.433 in 25 contests.

Does Jansen Fit Yankees?

Assuming Rice moves away from the catcher position altogether in 2026, which would be in both his and the club's best interest, than New York could certainly use a more established backstop to pair with Austin Wells.

J.C. Escarra was impressive in spurts this past season with five Framing Runs and impressive plate discipline as a hitter, but he's likely more of a Triple-A depth piece rather than a true backup at the big-league level.

Austin Wells should continue to receive plenty of reps behind the plate after mashing 21 home runs and posting 11 Framing Runs, but his overall production isn't enough for the Yankees to entrust him with the starting job without a quality secondary option next to him.

That's where Jansen enters the conversation. He has loads of experience playing in the American League East, for whatever that's worth, and his 14 blocks above average ranked in the 98th percentile this year according to Baseball Savant.

Though Jansen has his shortcomings as a hitter, he still possesses a strong eye and above-average power. Assuming his mutual option isn't picked up and he does reach free agency, he should be relatively cheap ($7.2 million market value, per Spotrac) and would help the Yankees out behind the plate next season.

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