Adolis Garcia– Adolis will forever have a special place in the hearts of Rangers fans after his stellar 2023 season and his playoff heroics later that season. It hurts to see his time with Rangers end like this, but the writing was on the wall since August. García has not been the same attacking player he was in 2023, his statistics have dropped significantly. In 2023, Adolis had 39 HRs, 107 RBIs and an 836 OPS with a 121 WRC+. However, over the last two years combined, he has a .225 AVG and ranks 145th in OPS out of 155 over the last two seasons. Unfortunately, it’s just time to move on, the Rangers can’t afford to have him struggle offensively for another season with how much he gets paid. Adolis was expected to get around $12 million in 2026, Fangraphs estimates him at $6 million. It is certainly time to sadly say goodbye to him, but his time with the team will certainly not be forgotten. That he shoots runners trying to get ahead, that he seemingly embraces clutch moments, and that he absolutely owns the Houston Astros will be what I will miss the most.
Jonah Heim– Jonah also played a huge role in the Rangers’ success in 2023. He started as a catcher for the AL in the All-star game that year, so he clearly had a great year. In addition to his good offensive year, in which he drove in 95 runs, he was elite defensively. Jonah won the Gold Glove in the AL and converted countless balls into hits. He also caught virtually the entire postseason, throwing out Gunnar Henderson when he tried to steal second base in game one of the ALDS, which was huge. But like García, Heim hasn’t been the same since 2023. In the past two years combined, he has a .217 AVG and ranks 154th in OPS out of 155. He did suffer a wrist injury in August that likely would have required surgery, but there have never been any reports that he did. I think that had an effect on him, especially on catching. Some are also wondering if the Rangers played him too much in the 2023 season. Either way, the Rangers need more production from the catching position, which is another reason why they decided to move on from Jonah. Furthermore, Jonah was expected to get around 6 million in arbitration, and he has not lived up to that value. Additionally, the Rangers are cutting payroll a bit in 2026, so this gives them some payroll flexibility to bring back into the roster.
Josh SborzJosh was also a key contributor to the Rangers’ success in 2023, especially in the postseason where he was effectively undefeated. He threw perhaps the most iconic pitch in Rangers history, giving the Rangers a World Series championship. Sborz has a different story about why the Rangers didn’t tender him. It wasn’t that Sborz hasn’t pitched well for the Rangers, it’s more that he really hasn’t pitched for them. Sborz threw 16.1 innings for the Rangers in 2024, then missed all of 2025 due to a shoulder injury. He spent most of 2025 rehabbing in an attempt to come back. Shoulder injuries for pitchers are the worst, and Josh Sborz’s injury did him no favors. Sborz threw 12 innings in AA and AAA this year and posted an ERA of 5.25. When the news broke that Rangers had non-tendered him, it may have shocked some fans, but not me at all. I watched Sborz pitch in AA and his velo was down to 92-93 MPH on his fastball, which normally sat 96-98. Plus, he just didn’t seem that effective on the mound. Since the Rangers didn’t have much payroll flexibility, I could see this move happening. It’s an unfortunate side of the game.
Jacob Webb– This one surprised me a bit because he was solid in 2025. Webb threw 66 innings for the Rangers in 2025, where he posted a 3.00 ERA. He wasn’t great, but very solid in most pitching categories. Since the Rangers had a lot of bullpen arms that were on the team in 2025 and became free agents, I thought Webb would have been signed. Mainly because it wasn’t too expensive, Webb was expected to get just over $2 million in arbitration. However, it appears the Rangers will use that money to reinvest in the roster.
I would also note that the Rangers and Sam Haggerty have agreed to a one-year contract to avoid arbitration.
With these moves, the Rangers free up approximately $20 million in projected payroll costs. That money could be used to add relief pitching, a catcher or a right fielder. President of Baseball Operations Chris Young and GM Ross Fenstermaker have a lot of work ahead of them this winter to build a roster capable of returning to the postseason.
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