The Orioles have added catching depth, landing catcher Jake Rogers in a deal with the Tigers. Baltimore is sending minor league righty Zane Barnhart back to Detroit. Both teams have announced the trade. Rogers was designated for assignment on Tuesday.
The 31-year-old Rogers spent parts of six big-league seasons with Detroit. He never provided much with the bat outside of the occasional homer, but was valued for his glove and clubhouse presence. Rogers had shifted to a true backup role the past two years, with Dillon Dingler emerging as a near-everyday option. Detroit is now rolling with youngster Eduardo Valencia as the lone catcher behind Dingler.
Rogers hit .161 over 36 games before being DFAed. More concerning was his drop-off behind the plate. The backstop recorded -3 Defensive Runs Saved and an identical -3 Fielding Run Value. He entered the year with 15 DRS and 13 Fielding Run Value in the majors.
The batted ball distribution suggests Rogers was selling out for power more than usual. He had a career-high 40% fly ball rate to go with a double-digit walk rate. Rogers was pulling the ball in the air at a massive 29.2% clip, but the approach only resulted in three homers. A 7.7% barrel rate and an 87.7% average exit velocity were among the worst of Rogers’ career.
Baltimore entered the season with one of the top catching tandems in the league. Adley Rutschman was expected to earn the majority of the reps behind the plate, with Samuel Basallo covering the remaining starts, while also appearing at DH. The production has been there, as the club ranks seventh in OPS at the position. Health has been the problem. Rutschman has had three separate IL stints. He’s currently sidelined with a wrist injury. Basallo hit the injured list shortly after Rutschman. He’s dealing with a shoulder issue.
The Orioles went with Chadwick Tromp and Sam Huff as their backstops after losing both Rutschman and Basallo. They’ve since swapped out Huff for Yohel Pozo, a waiver claim from the Cardinals. Rogers hasn’t been better than the group this season, but he’s shown the most upside in the big leagues. The righty swinger popped 21 home runs as Detroit’s primary catcher in 2023. He put up 13 DRS in 2024, the fourth-best mark among catchers that year. Rogers is an upgrade of sorts. He’ll be a sturdy option behind Rutschman or Basallo once one of them is available.
Rogers is playing on a $3.05MM contract. The Orioles will be on the hook for the remainder of the deal, which amounts to around $1MM. He’s a free agent at the end of this season. Baltimore landed on a rental after pursuing other alternatives. The club was in on Angels catcher Logan O’Hoppe before he was dealt to the Rangers, per Andy Kostka of the Baltimore Banner. O’Hoppe has at least two more years of team control remaining. Rogers makes a bit more sense considering the Orioles don’t need a long-term fix.
Barnhart was taken by the Orioles in the 17th round of the 2023 draft. He put together a strong 2.58 ERA between Single-A and High-A in his first full season of pro ball. Barnhart reached Double-A by the tail end of 2025. The 24-year-old has spent all of this year with Bowie. He’s posted a 4.05 ERA in 40 innings. Barnhart has four saves out of the Baysox bullpen.
As tends to be the case with minor league arms changing hands in these deals, Barnhart has shown some strikeout ability, but also struggled with control. The righty has delivered 10.2 K/9 in 34 games with Bowie. He’s also had a double-digit walk rate at every minor league stop.
