Inside The Padres

Padres Lose Key Free Agent to American League Squad

Noah Camras

Jun 25, 2024; San Diego, California, USA; San Diego Padres left fielder Jurickson Profar (right) is congratulated by catcher Kyle Higashioka (20) after hitting a grand slam home run against the Washington Nationals during the sixth inning at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Orlando Ramirez-Imagn Images
Jun 25, 2024; San Diego, California, USA; San Diego Padres left fielder Jurickson Profar (right) is congratulated by catcher Kyle Higashioka (20) after hitting a grand slam home run against the Washington Nationals during the sixth inning at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Orlando Ramirez-Imagn Images / Orlando Ramirez-Imagn Images
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The San Diego Padres have lost a key contributor of the 2024 season, as catcher Kyle Higashioka has signed a two-year deal with the Texas Rangers. The Rangers made the signing official on Monday night. It will be a two-year deal with a mutual option for the 2027 season.

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Higashioka, 34, spent the 2024 season with the Padres after spending the first seven years of his career with the New York Yankees. Higashioka came to San Diego as part of the Juan Soto trade with the Yankees last offseason, as San Diego acquired a haul for the superstar outfielder. At the time, Higashioka was considered nothing more than a throw-in.

Higashioka ended up putting together a solid season in San Diego, slashing .220/.263/.476 with 17 home runs and 45 runs batted in, both career-highs. He had a career-best 1.4 bWAR, and ended up being the starting catcher for San Diego.

Higashioka got even better in October, where he slashed .263/.273/.789 with three home runs and five runs batted in across seven postseason games.

The 34-year-old is now heading to Texas, though, where he'll share time with 2023 All-Star Jonah Heim, who had a down year in 2024.

As for the Padres, they'll need to find a new starting catcher to replace Higashioka's incredible production in his one and only year in San Diego.

Luis Campusano and Brett Sullivan are the lone catchers currently on the 40-man roster. Campusano is a former top prospect of the Padres who was expected to be the catcher of the future in San Diego, but he's struggled to put it all together, and hit just .227 with eight home runs across 91 games in 2024.

The Padres will likely look for a new catcher, either in free agency or via the trade market, now that Higashioka has wound up back in the American League.

More news: Padres Former Top Prospect Considered Potential Trade Candidate This Offseason

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Noah Camras
NOAH CAMRAS

Noah graduated from USC in 2022 with a B.A. in Journalism and a minor in sports media studies. He is the lead editor for Inside the Padres. He was born and raised in Los Angeles, and has covered all Southern California sports in his career.

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