4:18pm: The Rangers announced that they’ve non-tendered Garcia, Heim, and relievers Josh Sborz and Jacob Webb. All four are now free agents.
3:57pm: The Rangers will not tender a contract to outfielder Adolis Garcia, reports Jesse Rogers of ESPN. He’d been arbitration-eligible for the final time and was set to enter his final year of club control. Garcia will instead immediately become a free agent without needing to pass through waivers. Both Garcia and catcher Jonah Heim were being shopped by the Rangers throughout the early stages of the offseason. It’s not yet clear whether Heim will be tendered a contract or traded, but no takers emerged for Garcia, it seems.
Garcia’s hold on his roster spot has appeared tenuous for months. While he was a focal point of the offense that helped the Rangers capture their first World Series title in 2023, the slugging right fielder’s bat has cratered over the past two seasons. He’s also become emblematic of the type of undisciplined, boom-or-bust offensive approach that the Rangers have openly voiced a desire to change since the season ended.
More to come.
