Headlines

  • Aaron Judge Will Not Require Elbow Surgery; Rodón, Volpe Likely Unavailable To Begin 2026
  • Anthony Volpe Undergoes Shoulder Surgery
  • Alex Bregman Will Opt Out Of Red Sox Contract
  • Mike Shildt Steps Down As Padres Manager
  • Tigers Extended Manager A.J. Hinch Earlier This Season
  • Munetaka Murakami To Be Posted This Offseason
  • Previous
  • Next
Register
Login
  • Hoops Rumors
  • Pro Football Rumors
  • Pro Hockey Rumors

MLB Trade Rumors

Remove Ads
  • Home
  • Teams
    • AL East
      • Baltimore Orioles
      • Boston Red Sox
      • New York Yankees
      • Tampa Bay Rays
      • Toronto Blue Jays
    • AL Central
      • Chicago White Sox
      • Cleveland Guardians
      • Detroit Tigers
      • Kansas City Royals
      • Minnesota Twins
    • AL West
      • Athletics
      • Houston Astros
      • Los Angeles Angels
      • Seattle Mariners
      • Texas Rangers
    • NL East
      • Atlanta Braves
      • Miami Marlins
      • New York Mets
      • Philadelphia Phillies
      • Washington Nationals
    • NL Central
      • Chicago Cubs
      • Cincinnati Reds
      • Milwaukee Brewers
      • Pittsburgh Pirates
      • St. Louis Cardinals
    • NL West
      • Arizona Diamondbacks
      • Colorado Rockies
      • Los Angeles Dodgers
      • San Diego Padres
      • San Francisco Giants
  • About
    • MLB Trade Rumors
    • Tim Dierkes
    • Writing team
    • Advertise
    • Archives
  • Contact
  • Tools
    • 2025-26 MLB Free Agent List
    • 2026-27 MLB Free Agent List
    • Projected Arbitration Salaries For 2026
    • Contract Tracker
    • Transaction Tracker
    • Agency Database
  • NBA/NFL/NHL
    • Hoops Rumors
    • Pro Football Rumors
    • Pro Hockey Rumors
  • App
  • Chats
Go To Pro Hockey Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Rangers Release Sandy León

By Darragh McDonald | March 27, 2023 at 3:10pm CDT

The Rangers announced that catcher Sandy León has been released from his minor league contract.

León, 34, was an Article XX(B) free agent and thus had the ability to opt out of his minor league deal this past weekend if not given a roster spot. It’s unknown if he did indeed trigger his opt-out, but the end result is the same as he’s now back on the open market and free to sign with any club.

The veteran has appeared in each of the past 11 seasons, earning a reputation as a strong defensive catcher. In his career, he’s racked up 34 Defensive Runs Saved and a 12.9 grade from the FanGraphs framing metric. He hasn’t been able to provide too much offense in that time, outside of an incredible 2016 season. His career batting line is .210/.278/.314 for a wRC+ of 58. Despite that tepid performance at the plate, the defense is strong enough to continue to get him opportunities around the league.

Despite that strong reputation, the Rangers don’t have much need on the roster for him. They have Jonah Heim and Mitch Garver lined up to handle the catching duties in the big leagues, with Sam Huff also on the 40-man and likely to be in Triple-A. But León should be able to get himself a job elsewhere, given his skills and the constant need for catching around the league. The A’s are currently dealing with an injury to Manny Piña while the Diamondbacks are set to proceed without Carson Kelly for a while after he fractured his forearm. Those are just a couple of examples that highlight how depth is important at the position given the likelihood of injuries. León and his reps can now talk with all the teams in the league and find the best fit.

Share Repost Send via email

Texas Rangers Transactions Sandy Leon

Joey Votto To Begin Season On Injured List
Main
Tigers Acquire Zach McKinstry From Cubs
View Comments (11)
Post a Comment

11 Comments

  1. In Seager/Hader We Trust > the 70 MM DH Ohtani

    3 years ago

    Good riddance! At least he won’t be giving away outs! This likely means Garver and Heim

    3
    Reply
    • iang2424

      3 years ago

      It’s not like he was going to get like 400 atbats. If he had made the team, he probably would have started once every 6-7 days. Plus it was a minors deal and it was always Heim and Garver. The only difference was if Huff was going to make the team or not which they optioned him last week.

      2
      Reply
    • superunclea

      3 years ago

      catching is also the act of catching. Leon is a solid backstop with a bad bat.

      1
      Reply
      • In Seager/Hader We Trust > the 70 MM DH Ohtani

        3 years ago

        Catchers who can catch are a penny a dozen. Catchers who can hit are worth their weight in gold.

        Reply
  2. deweybelongsinthehall

    3 years ago

    Loved Sandy when he first arrived in Boston. His MLB time though may have caught up with him as comparing him and Vasquez, one learned how to be a decent clutch hitter and one didn’t. That said, I’m hoping he can stick somewhere as a backup.

    Reply
    • olmtiant

      3 years ago

      Dewey if you remember his first stint with us he couldn’t make an out ( 2016) I thought finally a catcher that can hit!! Quite a defensive player though.. best example 2018 playoffs.. stopped many a wild pitches.. like you hope he can hang on somewhere..

      Reply
      • deweybelongsinthehall

        3 years ago

        Great with the glove but those first two months were special. A switch hitting catcher who could hit to all fields…oh well…

        Reply
  3. scottaz

    3 years ago

    Dbacks GM Hazen and Manager Lovullo both have Boston roots, and both recently made vague comments about filling the backup catcher position in Arizona externally, after Carson Kelly was injured. Could this be the move?

    Reply
  4. Michael Chaney

    3 years ago

    Now that Leon and Bryan Shaw are both available, it feels like it’s only a matter of time before the Guardians bring them both back. I’m sure Michael Martinez is available too lol

    2
    Reply
  5. Corndog

    3 years ago

    And don’t forget Plawecki, too. Lol

    1
    Reply
  6. User 1855579867

    3 years ago

    Overweight below .200 singles hitters are not in vogue even today.

    1
    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Please login to leave a reply.

Log in Register

    Top Stories

    Aaron Judge Will Not Require Elbow Surgery; Rodón, Volpe Likely Unavailable To Begin 2026

    Anthony Volpe Undergoes Shoulder Surgery

    Alex Bregman Will Opt Out Of Red Sox Contract

    Mike Shildt Steps Down As Padres Manager

    Tigers Extended Manager A.J. Hinch Earlier This Season

    Munetaka Murakami To Be Posted This Offseason

    Cody Bellinger To Opt Out Of Contract With Yankees

    Angels, Albert Pujols Discussing Managerial Deal

    Projected Arbitration Salaries For 2026

    Rangers Hire Skip Schumaker As Manager

    Albert Pujols To Interview For Angels’ Managerial Vacancy, May Be “Leading Choice”

    Bill Schmidt Will Not Return As Rockies’ GM

    Brian Snitker Will Not Return As Braves’ Manager In 2026

    Angels To Have New Manager In 2026

    Rays Sale To Patrick Zalupski’s Group Officially Completed

    Guardians Promote Chase DeLauter For Wild Card Series

    Bruce Bochy Will Not Return As Rangers Manager Amid Financial Uncertainty

    Liam Hendriks Undergoes Ulnar Nerve Transposition Surgery

    Twins Fire Rocco Baldelli

    Giants Fire Bob Melvin

    Recent

    Aaron Judge Will Not Require Elbow Surgery; Rodón, Volpe Likely Unavailable To Begin 2026

    Cubs Notes: Tucker, Imanaga, Horton, Coaching Staff

    The Opener: ALCS, NLCS, Waiver Wire

    A.J. Preller Discusses Padres’ Rotation

    Latest On Mike Shildt’s Resignation As Padres Manager

    Diamondbacks Hire J.R. House As Third Base Coach

    Albert Pujols Expected To Interview For Orioles’ Managerial Opening

    Rocco Baldelli Interested In Managing Again

    Devin Williams: Open To Reunion With Yankees

    Nine Players Elect Free Agency

    MLBTR Newsletter - Hot stove highlights in your inbox, five days a week

    Latest Rumors & News

    Latest Rumors & News

    • Every MLB Trade In July
    Trade Rumors App for iOS and Android App Store Google Play

    MLBTR Features

    MLBTR Features

    • Remove Ads, Support Our Writers
    • Front Office Originals
    • Tim Dierkes' MLB Mailbag
    • Front Office Fantasy Baseball
    • MLBTR Podcast
    • 2025-26 MLB Free Agent List
    • 2026-27 MLB Free Agent List
    • Projected Arbitration Salaries For 2026
    • Contract Tracker
    • Transaction Tracker
    • Extension Tracker
    • Agency Database
    • MLBTR On Twitter
    • MLBTR On Facebook
    • Team Facebook Pages
    • How To Set Up Notifications For Breaking News
    • Hoops Rumors
    • Pro Football Rumors
    • Pro Hockey Rumors

    Rumors By Team

    • Angels Rumors
    • Astros Rumors
    • Athletics Rumors
    • Blue Jays Rumors
    • Braves Rumors
    • Brewers Rumors
    • Cardinals Rumors
    • Cubs Rumors
    • Diamondbacks Rumors
    • Dodgers Rumors
    • Giants Rumors
    • Guardians Rumors
    • Mariners Rumors
    • Marlins Rumors
    • Mets Rumors
    • Nationals Rumors
    • Orioles Rumors
    • Padres Rumors
    • Phillies Rumors
    • Pirates Rumors
    • Rangers Rumors
    • Rays Rumors
    • Red Sox Rumors
    • Reds Rumors
    • Rockies Rumors
    • Royals Rumors
    • Tigers Rumors
    • Twins Rumors
    • White Sox Rumors
    • Yankees Rumors

    Navigation

    • Sitemap
    • Archives
    • RSS/Twitter Feeds By Team

    MLBTR INFO

    • Advertise
    • About
    • Commenting Policy
    • Privacy Policy

    Connect

    • Contact Us
    • Twitter
    • Facebook
    • RSS Feed

    MLB Trade Rumors is not affiliated with Major League Baseball, MLB or MLB.com

    Do not Sell or Share My Personal Information

    hide arrows scroll to top

    Register

    Desktop Version | Switch To Mobile Version