The Tampa Bay Rays have made two moves to change their approach at catcher for the rest of this season, sending veteran Danny Jansen to his hometown team — the Milwaukee Brewers — in exchange for their No. 10 prospect Jadher Areinamo (per Baseball America). The Brewers needed help, as star catcher William Contreras has been playing through a finger fracture.
To fill his role in Tampa Bay, the Rays appear reportedly acquiring one of the Marlins catchers Nick Fortes; the fish had three catchers on the major
league roster with a top prospect in the wings. At the plate Fortes has a career 70 wRC+ with both low walk and low strikeout rates, but you don’t acquire this sort of catcher for his bat.
Had Nick Fortes circled as a target due to great throwing, blocking & framing #'s
— Rays Metrics (@RaysMetrics) July 28, 2025
He hasn't hit yet in MLB but he's an elite contact guy with increasing power. Bat speed is now >50th %ile and MaxEV is up two ticks to 111.3. Weirdly high career pop-up rates have led to low BABIPs pic.twitter.com/1a9Avs7IUc
Fortes, 28, is on his rooking contract through 2028 and his highly rated for his pitch framing (something Jansen was inconsistent with this season), and excels at pickup up called strikes both vertically (below the zone) and horizontally (to both the left and right). His 46.8% strike rate ranks fourth among all catchers this season with at least 1,000 pitches received.
In 59 games this season he’s credited with 0.8 WAR, which is slightly ahead of both Jansen (0.7 in 73 games) and backup Thaiss (0.7 in 58 games).
The Rays just upgraded MASSIVELY behind the plate and fans will notice quickly #RaysUp
— Kick Dirt Baseball (@KickDirtBB) July 28, 2025
Nick Fortes is one of the premier receivers in MLB. He has a 46.8% Called Strike Rate in Shadow Zones this season, nearly 10% higher than Danny Jansen’s MLB-worst 38.2% pic.twitter.com/xd43DH0yTM
In both deals the price was right.
The Rays are sending cash considerations alongside Jansen to net Jadher Areinamo, a right handed hitting 21-year old Venezuelan infielder listed at 5’8” and signed for $150,000 in 2021. According to Baseball America, “In 2023, he was the runner-up for the batting title in Low-A Carolina, then in 2024 won the batting crown in the High-A Midwest League, where managers voted him the league’s best defensive second baseman.”
Areinamo might be viewed as a utility prospect, as he is capable at third and considered a plus hitter, even if he might not show much in power. Repeating High-A, Areinamo again has a wRC+ in the 120’s and has 47 steals across the two seasons.
Jadher Areinamo is still flying under the radar!
— LouisAnalysis (@LouisAnalysis) July 26, 2025
He hit .301 last year with 10 home runs and 32 steals, and has already surpassed that HR number in 20 less games. Aggressive, elite bat-to-ball and plus defender.
He told me he steals less because pitchers know him better now. pic.twitter.com/LqGXUz41nd
To acquire Fortes, it’s widely reported the Rays are trading Double-A outfielder Matthew Etzel, who was one of three prospects acquired in the Zach Eflin trade at last year’s deadline. He was just outside our site’s top-25 heading into the season after a strong showing (and strong beard) in Spring Training, and ranked No. 28 at MLB Pipeline.
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