Back in November, when teams were deciding who to tender and non-tender, one of the surprising pieces of news was the Texas Rangers deciding to cut ties with catcher Jonah Heim. Well, as of February 1o, the Atlanta Braves have swooped in and brought Heim in to spring training. Chris Cotillo and other reports suggest that the Braves have reached an agreement on an MLB deal with Heim.
Pitchers and catchers reported on Tuesday for the Braves, and several reports indicate that Jonah Heim is with the club and is presumably fighting for the backup catcher spot, with Sean Murphy set to start the season on the IL, and expected to return sometime in May. Heim will likely be competing with Chadwick Tromp and Sandy Leon to open the season on the 40-man roster. Spring training brings added roster flexibility for MLB clubs, so it wouldn’t be shocking within the next week if Sean Murphy lands on the IL.
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Braves Giving Jonah Heim Another Shot
Jonah Heim is a former All-Star and World Series champion with the Texas Rangers. However, Texas decided it wanted to go a different route after the 2025 season. In 2025, Heim hit .213 with 11 home runs and an OPS+ of 77 over 124 games.
It wasn’t the flashiest season for Heim, but that’s enough production to land him a job somewhere, which happens to be with Atlanta. Now, the interesting thing will be what Atlanta chooses to do with Heim as Opening Day approaches, and Sean Murphy gets healthier.
GettyARLINGTON, TEXAS – SEPTEMBER 24: Phil Maton #88 of the Texas Rangers shakes hands with Jonah Heim #28 following a 4-2 victory over the Minnesota Twins at Globe Life Field on September 24, 2025 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
The early reports from Braves’ camp indicate that Murphy is beginning baseball activities, which include running workouts on the first day of pitchers and catchers reporting.
With the emergence of Drake Baldwin, who is the Braves’ starting catcher, the question mark surrounding the backup spot still remains.
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What Can the Braves Do with Sean Murphy and Jonah Heim
As intriguing as this “signing” is, it will leave the Braves at a crossroads once Murphy returns healthy.
It doesn’t seem like Sean Murphy will be traded at this instance, due to his lingering injury, but if Heim does open the year as the backup catcher, that will make him the subject of trade rumors as Murphy’s return looms.
Sean Murphy was thought to be the Braves catcher of the future when he came to Atlanta in the 2022 offseason and was subsequently named an All-Star in 2023, but his production has slowed since, and it has a lot to do with staying on the field. He has one of the highest power-upsides among catchers in MLB, but Murphy has failed to hit above .200 and play in more than 100 games in each of the past two seasons.
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