3:59 p.m.: The Braves officially announced the deal. Naturally, Heim will take the vacant roster spot that opened up after that Spencer Schwellenbach hit IL for 60 days. Heim’s deal is for $1.5MM, reports Jon Heyman of the New York Post.
9:11 a.m.: A veteran catcher Jonah Heim is in Braves camp this morning, according to Mark Bowman of MLB.com. The team has yet to officially announce the deal, but Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports that the two teams have agreed to a one-year, major league contract. Heim is represented by the Beverly Hills Sports Council.
Heim, 31 in June, was a key factor in the Rangers’ World Series victory in the 2023 season, posting a .258/.317/.438 batting line (107 wRC+) and hitting 18 home runs. He combined that better-than-average offense — especially relative to his position — with high defensive grades; Heim caught 29.3% of runners who attempted base swipes against him (well above that season’s average of 20.6%), was solid in terms of blocking ground balls, and was the fourth-best catcher in the sport in terms of field coverage, according to Statcast.
Given that a major league catcher is usually about 10-12% worse than a major league hitter at the plate, having an outfielder behind the plate with 15- to 20-homer pop and better-than-average stats is very important. Heim is rated as a defensive tackle in both 2021 and 2022, and his offensive improvement in ’23 looks to put him in the conversation to be one of the game’s most valuable catchers.
Instead, every aspect of his skill set has taken a step back in the two seasons since. He has drawn league marks since 2023 and has seen his pitching drop significantly, with just a 13.7% steal rate in 2024-25. His pop time behind the plate dipped north of two seconds, and his average velocity on throws to second dipped from 81.1 mph in ’23 to 79.5 mph in ’25.
Heim’s offensive decline has become even more pronounced. He’s taken 924 plate appearances since that standout 2023 campaign but turned in a terrible .217/.269/.334 line that checks out about 29% worse than league average, with a wRC+ rating. His strikeout rate hasn’t changed much, but he’s lost a few percentage points in his walk rate and has seen declines in average exit velocity, slugging rate and hard-hit rate. He also saw his line drive rate drop by a few percent while his ground ball and infield fly rate went north.
There are no changes to those super attack rate stats themselves, but a couple looks in the wrong direction in most of those rate stats that have a significant cumulative effect. That’s especially true for a player who was slightly above average in terms of hitting in the first place. The Rangers, looking to take a salary cut, didn’t sign Heim in November after failing to find a trade partner willing to move him for his arbitration price. (MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projected a $6MM salary for the 2026 season.)
Heim now joins a Braves club looking for a short-term backup to the reigning NL Rookie of the Year Drake Baldwin. Baldwin and veterans Sean Murphy looked locked in as Atlanta’s catching tandem last summer — until Murphy needed surgery to repair a torn labrum in his hip. The timetable for his return remains unclear. Bowman suggests Murphy hopes to be ready sometime in May, though it’s not clear whether that’s early in the month or closer to Memorial Day weekend. The team will figure to provide one as soon as the pitchers and catchers report to camp this week (today, in the Braves’ case).
Baldwin and Murphy are the only catchers on Atlanta’s 40-man roster right now. With Murphy expected to be sidelined to start the season, Baldwin’s backup options have included undrafted invitees. Chadwick Trump, Sandy Leon again Jair Camargo. Heim adds an upside option and, after signing a major league deal, is the frontrunner to back up Baldwin.
Heim has more than five years of major league service time, so if Murphy is ready to start, Heim cannot be selected without his consent. Those five years of MLB service are also enough for him to decline Triple-A Gwinnett’s direct assignment and retain any remaining guaranteed money on his contract.
