Texas Rangers Sign 7 of 8 Arbitration-Eligible Players; Adolis Garcia Still Unresolved
The Texas Rangers announced they have signed seven of eight arbitration-eligible players Wednesday evening.
The lone exception is outfielder Adolis Garcia, who is coming off his best season in the majors. The MLB deadline was 7 p.m. Wednesday for teams to exchange salary figures for arbitration, which Garcia and the club have done.
The seven players who agreed to terms on 2024 contracts include left-hander Brock Burke, right-handed pitchers Dane Dunning, Jonathan Hernández, and Josh Sborz, catcher Jonah Heim, first baseman Nathaniel Lowe, and outfielder Leody Taveras.
According to a league source, the players signed one-year deals for the following amounts, from highest to lowest:
Lowe: $7.5 million
Dunning: $3.325 million
Heim: $3.05 million
Taveras: $2.55 million
Hernandez: $1.245 million
Burke: $1.035 million
Sborz: $1.025 million
Nathaniel Lowe, 28, won his first Gold Glove award at first base and slashed .262/.360/.414/.775 (163-623) with 17 home runs, 3 triples, 38 doubles, and a career-high 82 RBI in 161 games in 2023.
Dane Dunning, 29, was named the Rangers’ 2023 Pitcher of the Year by Dallas-Forth Worth BBWAA members after a career-high 12 wins to co-lead the club with Nathan Eovaldi. He threw a team-high 172.2 innings with 140 strikeouts and 12 quality starts.
Catcher Jonah Heim, 28, is coming off his first All-Star selection and slashed .258/.317/.438/.755 in 131 games. He had a career-high 18 home runs, 95 RBI, 28 doubles, and 61 runs.
Center fielder Leody Taveras, 25, had career-highs in nearly every offensive category, batting .266 with 14 home runs, three triples, 31 doubles, and 67 RBI in 143 games in 2023.
Reliever Jonathan Hernández, 27, was 1-2 with a 5.40 ERA in 31.2 innings over 33 games in 2023.
Reliever Brock Burke, 27, was 5-3 with 12 holds and a 4.37 ERA in 59.2 innings in 2023. He had 52 strikeouts and nine walks during a career-high 53 relief appearances.
Reliever Josh Sborz, 30, was 6-7 with a 5.50 ERA om 52.1 innings over 44 games om 2023. He, of course, pitched the final 2.1 innings of the Rangers' Game 5 World Series title clincher against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Nov. 1.
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