Detroit Tigers Avoid Arbitration With Starting Catcher, Agree to Terms
The Detroit Tigers have agreed to terms with one of the key pieces of their lineup to avoid arbitration.
Starting catcher Jake Rogers agreed to a $2.64 million contract for the 2025 season which will be a step up from the $1.7 million he collected for the 2024 season. Rogers will have one more year of arbitration eligibility next offseason before he becomes a free agent ahead of the 2027 season.
Rogers, who was drafted initially by the Houston Astros in the third round of the 2016 MLB Draft, was traded to the Tigers in the Justin Verlander blockbuster and thus far has spent his entire MLB career with Detroit. This past season was his second full season in the majors, playing 35 games in 2019 and 38 games in 2021. He did not play in 2022 due to injury.
The 29-year-old had a higher WAR in 2024 than he did in 2023 largely due to his elite defense for which he received a Gold Glove nomination, but he was largely ineffective at the plate. With a .197 batting average, and a .607 OPS, Rogers numbers were down across the board from the 2023 season. After hitting 21 home runs in 2023, he dipped down to just 10 in 2024.
Nonetheless, Rogers is the team's starting catcher, with only he and Dillon Dingler on the 40-man roster, and will have every opportunity to try to improve his numbers this season. If Rogers can pull his numbers back up to what they were on 2023 combined with maintaining his high-level defense, he will become one of the better catchers in baseball.
