Inside The Rangers

Seattle Mariners Parting Ways with Former Rangers Fan Favorite Outfielder

The Texas Rangers moved on from this fan favorite earlier this season, and now the Seattle Marines appear to be doing the same thing.
Jacob Moss|
May 23, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Seattle Mariners right fielder Leody Taveras (4) reacts after hitting a solo home run to right field against the Houston Astros during the third inning at Daikin Park. Mandatory Credit: Erik Williams-Imagn Images
May 23, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Seattle Mariners right fielder Leody Taveras (4) reacts after hitting a solo home run to right field against the Houston Astros during the third inning at Daikin Park. Mandatory Credit: Erik Williams-Imagn Images | Erik Williams-Imagn Images

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Texas Rangers

The Seattle Mariners announced on Monday afternoon that the team designated former Texas Rangers fan favorite Leody Taveras for assignment.

The move comes a little over a month after they acquired him off of waivers from the Rangers on May 6.

A lackluster start at the plate in Texas and a renewed commitment to young outfielder Evan Carter meant that Taveras lost his spot on the 26-man roster and it led to the Rangers placing him on outright waivers.

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The Mariners claimed the veteran in hopes of providing a spark in their outfield, and in doing so picked up the remaining $3.5 million on his current contract.

Unfortunately for both Seattle and Taveras, though, the move didn't pan out as he produced a brutal 32 wRC+ and -1.0 fWAR across the 92 plate appearances he had in a Mariners uniform.

Now, the 26-year-old will be looking to find his third different team this season in hopes that this time he can finally stick around somewhere.

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Taveras made his big league debut with the Rangers back in 2020 and spent five seasons with Texas before being waived.

The fan favorite was a key part of the team's 2023 World Series-winning run, a season that was by far the most successful he had at the MLB level. A lackluster performance in 2024 led to Texas platooning Taveras with veteran center fielder Kevin Pillar, rookie call-up Dustin Harris and Carter at various times.

The move did little to boost Taveras' numbers, however, and as such, the two sides parted ways 18 months removed from their legendary World Series run, a run that Taveras reminisced on in the heartfelt goodbye he penned to Rangers fans following his departure.

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It's always sad seeing players who meant so much to a team's success fall off in the way that Taveras has, but the MLB is still a business at the end of the day.

Hopefully he can finally find a place where he can figure things out at the plate, and in doing so carve out a long term roll.

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Jacob Moss
JACOB MOSS

Georgia native and avid Atlanta sports fan who has lived in the Charlotte area for the past eight years. Got started writing about sports for my middle school paper and haven’t stopped since. Graduate from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and proud 49er. Passionate sports writer who has covered everything from high school soccer to the NFL for several prominent outlets including the Charlotte Observer, ESPN, and the Carolina Panthers. Also covered the South Carolina Gamecocks football program as the lead beat writer for Last Word on College Football, and was a contributing writer for several other notable online publications such as Yardbarker. Lives and breathes sports and will watch whatever is on or in season. Favorite teams include the Braves, Hawks, Falcons, and Georgia Bulldogs. Massive Jordan Speith and Rory McIlroy fan on the PGA Tour

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