Rangers sign Leon, per report

The Texas Rangers have signed veteran catcher Sandy Leon to a minor league deal, per reports.

Leon, who turns 34 in March, has spent parts of the last eleven seasons in the majors, mostly with the Boston Red Sox. He got a decent amount of playing time during his time in Boston despite generally being very bad offensively due to his game calling and pitcher handling skills.

Leon started the 2022 season in the Cincinnati Reds organization, then was acquired by the Cleveland Guardians before being dealt at the trade deadline to the Minnesota Twins.

The Rangers’ catching situation is a bit of a mystery right now. Jonah Heim had a strong 2022 season and would seem primed to be the starter. Mitch Garver could share time at catcher with Heim, or could end up in a DH role. If Garver is going to be a DH, the Rangers will need a backup catcher, and they could possibly opt for a third catcher even if Garver is going to catch some in order to also allow him to get significant DH at bats. Sam Huff is also still in the picture, although he would seem likely to start the year at Round Rock.

Leon would seem to be AAA depth, though depending on the circumstances he could have a shot at making the Opening Day roster.