The Tampa Bay Rays let their actions speak for themselves at this summer’s trade deadline. They bought and sold while keeping the window for a postseason window open. While the overall results have been mixed, the Rays transformed their catching depth chart. Nick Fortes was plucked from the Miami Marlins, and Hunter Feduccia was added in the Zack Littell trade. Meanwhile, Danny Jansen was shipped to Milwaukee. Got all of that?
Rays Reshuffled The Catching Ranks
The Rays liked what they saw in Fortes and struck before the deadline to acquire the native of Florida. Fortes was and remains a light hitter. He has only contributed a modest .156/.283/.289 with a 59 OPS+ in 20 games with the Rays. The key is the defense, and Fortes has demonstrated a variety of skills in that department. Baseball Savant has him in the 91st percentile with 6 blocks above average. He had a particularly humorous play against the A’s where the ball was lodged in his glove before he completed a strikeout with a juggling catch. Offensively, his biggest hit has to be a three-run home run against Luis Castillo that narrowly cleared the right-center field wall at George Steinbrenner Field. That blast opened up the scoring on a night when the Rays would blow out the Mariners.
Ball don’t lie pic.twitter.com/31g1yoG9HH
— Tampa Bay Rays (@RaysBaseball) September 2, 2025
Feduccia, 28, is sharing the catching duties and similarly made a muted impact. His two-run double to center field against the New York Yankees in late August to tie the game was a huge hit for a young player. The Rays ultimately lost the game in ten innings, but Feduccia showed his potential offensive ceiling. He struck out a lot at AAA-Oklahoma City with the Dodgers, and cutting down on the strikeouts will be key to his development.
Jansen Brings His Struggles To Wisconsin
Danny Jansen was a little disappointing in a Rays uniform. Jansen went 3-4 with a home run and 4 RBIs in an April game against the Atlanta Braves. That game showed what Jansen could do offensively when healthy and clicking at the same time. Instead, that performance served as a ceiling for Jansen’s Rays tenure, as he could never elevate his game to a higher level. The Rays shipped him to Milwaukee, and his struggles have carried over. Through 13 games in a Brewers uniform, Jansen is slashing .200/.306/.265. As his OBP suggests, Jansen is still drawing walks at a healthy 10% since the trade. Maybe Jansen could find some pop, but William Contreras is the everyday starter on a club with the best record in baseball. Milwaukee is learning firsthand what the Rays experienced with Jansen in the first half of the season.
The Last Word
The Rays have experienced a boatload of difficulty finding a reliable every-day starter behind the plate. Rays fans are pining for the days of Mike Zunino’s 20+ HR seasons during his prime. The Rays once again have the weakest offensive output from the catching position, even if the incumbents are holding their own defensively. The options on the free agent market this winter are not exactly inspiring. The Rays may have to pursue the trade market to find their long-term backstop. Add the catching corps to a long list of items on the plate of the Rays front office this winter.
Main Photo Credits: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
The post Examining Rays Catchers After Trade Deadline Reshuffling appeared first on Last Word On Baseball.