Adolis an outlier on Rangers' arb deadline day
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ARLINGTON -- The Rangers agreed to terms with the seven of their eight arbitration-eligible players ahead of Thursday’s deadline: right-handed pitchers Dane Dunning, Jonathan Hernández and Josh Sborz, left-handed pitcher Brock Burke, first baseman Nathaniel Lowe, center fielder Leody Taveras and catcher Jonah Heim.
Outfielder Adolis García was the lone exception.
García, the ALCS MVP against the Astros during the Rangers’ World Series run, earned his second All-Star appearance and first Gold Glove Award in 2023. He had a slash line of .245/.328/.508 with career highs in home runs (39) and walks (65).
García was projected by Cot’s Baseball Contracts to earn just over $5 million in his first year of arbitration. The outfielder filed at $6.9 million, while the Rangers countered at $5 million, according to a source.
The player and club may continue to negotiate before an arbitration hearing (typically held in February). If an agreement is not reached, the Rangers will head to their first arbitration hearing since 2000, which they won against first baseman Lee Stevens.
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According to a source, seven arb-eligible players who agreed to terms for 2024 will earn the following:
• Lowe: $7.5 million
• Dunning: $3.325 million
• Heim: $3.05 million
• Taveras: $2.55 million
• Hernández: $1.245 million
• Burke: $1.035 million
• Sborz: $1.025 million
Lowe, in his second year of arbitration eligibility, won a Silver Slugger Award in 2022 and a Gold Glove in '23. He was one of only two Rangers (with Marcus Semien) to appear in at least 161 games.
Heim earned his first All-Star appearances and first Gold Glove Award in 2023, catching 124 games for the heaviest workload of his short career. He slashed .282/.338/.474 before the All-Star break, but a wrist injury hindered him down the stretch with a .217/.283/.373 line in the second half.
Dunning posted the best season of his career, posting a 3.70 ERA (121 ERA+) in a team-high 172 2/3 innings. He appeared in 35 games and made 26 starts as he replaced Jacob deGrom in Texas’ rotation after the ace underwent season-ending UCL surgery.
Taveras hit .266 with a .733 OPS in 143 games in 2023.
The trio of relievers -- Sborz (81 ERA+), Hernández (83 ERA+) and Burke (102 ERA+) all had relatively down seasons, but Sborz became the Rangers’ best bullpen asset during the World Series run. He posted a 0.75 ERA in 10 postseason appearances and closed out the World Series clincher in Game 5 against the D-backs.