Texas Rangers, Arbitration Players Face Friday Deadline

Eight Texas Rangers are arbitration-eligible and have a Friday deadline to get deals done with the team.

The Texas Rangers haven’t faced an arbitration hearing with a player since 2000 with Lee Stevens. It’s a streak the team hopes it can continue as the deadline to reach agreements with arbitration-eligible players approaches.

The Rangers hope to have agreements in place with their eight arbitration-eligible players by Friday. The club had 10 of them after the World Series, but decided to non-tenders two pitchers, Matt Bush and Brett Martin, allowing them to hit free agency.

While the Rangers have been judicious in how they’ve spent so far in free agency, these are players whose rights they control and most of whom contributed significantly to last season’s run to the franchise’s first World Series title.

Nathaniel Lowe could see his salary more than double before next season / Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

If a deal isn't in place, the Rangers and that player would exchange figures and go to an arbitration hearing before Spring Training. 

Most notable among them is first baseman Nathaniel Lowe, who could end up with the highest one-year salary among the eight at an estimated $8.8 million per FanGraphs.

Lowe received a little more than $4 million last season in a deal agreed to in order to avoid arbitration. He isn’t a free agent until after the 2026 season. He slashed .262/.360/.414/.774 with 17 home runs and a career-high 82 RBI in 2023. He also improved defensively at first base and won his first Gold Glove.

FanGraphs estimates that the Rangers’ eight arbitration-eligible players could cost more than $28 million to retain.

All-Star outfielder Adolis García is in his first year of arbitration eligibility and he could get an estimated $6.6 million per FanGraphs. The ALCS MVP is coming off a career season at the plate in which he slashed .245/.328/.508/.836 with 39 home runs and 107 RBI. He hit home runs in five consecutive postseason games, went to the All-Star Game for the second time and won his first Gold Glove.

Jonah Heim could see a big boost, too. FanGraphs estimates the All-Star catcher could get $3.6 million after a 2023 in which he slashed .258/.317/.438/.755 with 18 home runs and 95 RBI. He also won his first Gold Glove, was a finalist for the Silver Slugger and started in the All-Star Game.

The remaining arbitration-eligible players, with salary estimates, are pitcher Dane Dunning ($3.4 million), outfielder Leody Taveras ($2.4 million), pitcher Jonathan Hernández ($1.3 million), pitcher Brock Burke ($1.1 million) and pitcher Josh Sborz ($900,000).

Taveras qualifies for arbitration eligibility because he is a Super 2 player (must rank in the top 22 percent in terms of service time among all players who have between two and three years in the Majors). The rest of the players have at least three years of service time.

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