Kyle Higashioka gets honest about $12,500,000 move to Texas Rangers

The Texas Rangers added Kyle Higashioka to a two-year contract last month, which is reported to be worth around $12.5 million. The seasoned catcher enjoyed a successful stint in his one-year spell with the San Diego Padres last season.

Kyle Higashioka was actually picked up by the New York Yankees way back in the 2006 MLB Draft, but it took him nearly a decade to finally make his major league debut in 2017. He spent seven years with the team before getting traded to the San Diego Padres last season as part of the trade deal that had brought Juan Soto to the Bronx. Higashioka became a free agent at the end of the 2024 campaign.

On Thursday, Kyle Higashioka discussed his move to the Texas Rangers in this off-season during an interview for MLB Network Radio on Sirius XM.

"I just tried to go in [to free agency] not expecting anything," Higashioka said. "I definitely learned from the arbitration process. What you expect and what you're going to get are going to be two different things. So, I wasn't expecting anything.

"I think I ended up with a fantastic deal," he continued. "But going into it, I really wanted to go to some place that is going to give me a chance to win and have success, and also makes sense from a financial standpoint, obviously. Yeah, this was a fantastic situation for me."

The Rangers were the defending World Series champions last season but failed to qualify for the playoffs after losing key players to injury. They are expected to make a strong comeback in 2025.

Kyle Higashioka expecting to win "atleast one championship" with Texas Rangers

Kyle Higashioka contributed three home runs and five RBIs for the Padres in the postseason (Image Source: Imagn)

During his appearance on MLB Network Radio, Kyle Higashioka said that the Texas Rangers are in a strong position to challenge for the World Series next year, which played a crucial role in his decision to join the team. He stated that the Rangers are targeting winning a championship within the next two years, so he did not have any real hesitation in joining the team.

"The Rangers just put together such an incredible opportunity for me to have success in Texas and hopefully win at least one championship," Higashioka said. "It was too good to pass up."

Higashioka batted .220/.263/.476 in 84 games for the San Diego Padres last season. He also notched career-high totals with 17 home runs and 45 RBIs.