Texas Rangers Star Outfielder and Team Agree to Terms, Avoid Arbitration

The Texas Rangers have agreed to terms and avoided arbitration with one of their outfielders.

Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

The Texas Rangers have agreed to terms with one of their outfielders to avoid arbitration.

Centerfielder Leody Taveras and the team have agreed upon a $4.75 million contract for the 2025 season during what was his second season of arbitration eligibility. The new deal is a near doubling of the $2.55 million he received in the 2024 season and likely would have been more had Taveras not just posted his worst full season to date. Taveras will have two more years of arbitration eligiblity before he becomes a free agent ahead of the 2028 season.

The Rangers are the only professional team Taveras has ever known, signing with Texas as an international free agent and making his MLB debut during the 2020 season. In 2021 and 2022, Taveras largely split time between Texas and Triple-A Round Rock, becoming a full-time player ahead of the 2023 season and having his best year thus far.

In 2023, Taveras hit .266 with an OPS of .733, 14 home runs, and 67 RBIs with 14 stolen bases. Though he increased his stolen bases to 23 in 2024, his numbers at the plate were down across the board. Though he struggled overall namely with a .229 average and OPS of .641, Taveras is still expected to at least begin the season as the team's starting centerfielder and the hope will be he can increase his production.

The Rangers have two more players who have a deadline of Thursday in Jonah Heim and Dane Dunning as they look to lock everyone up rather than heading to arbitration, but with an afternoon deadline time is of the essence.