Adolis García is part of Texas Rangers lore after his heroics in their 2023 World Series run. He is also now looking for a job.
The Rangers declined to tender a contract to the 32-year-old outfielder, immediately making him a free agent. The team offered a contract to only one of its five arbitration-eligble players, outfielder Sam Haggerty. Former All-Star catcher Jonah Heim and relievers Josh Sborz and Jacob Webb are also now free agents.
Had the Rangers tendered García a contract, they were projected by MLB Trade Rumors to be on the hook for a salary of $12.1 million. Despite what García did in the past, his play has declined quite a bit in the two seasons since the World Series championship run.
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Between 2024 and 2025 (his age-31 and -32 seasons), he slashed .225/.278/.397. With a bat like that, the Rangers apparently decided another season would be too pricey.
That doesn’t erase what García did for the franchise. He first joined Texas after getting designated for assignment by the St. Louis Cardinals. He was DFA’d again by Texas in 2021, but returned to the roster and made an immediate impact as a rookie in 2021, earning All-Star honors and a fourth-place finish in Rookie of the Year voting.
García reached true stardom in 2023, when he slashed .245/.328/.508 with a career-high 39 homers. He again earned All-Star honors that year, as well as MVP votes and a Gold Glove. That regular season was only a warm-up for what he did in the playoffs.
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Facing the in-state rival Houston Astros in the ALCS, García earned series MVP honors with homers in four straight games, including two in the decisive Game 7. He became a boogeyman for Houston — sparking a benches-clearing brawl in Game 5 after celebrating a homer with a slow trot — and a hero for the DFW area. It was a cathartic series for a franchise that had watched Houston dominate the division for years, and would not have been possible without García catching fire.
García would go on to hit another homer in Game 1 of the World Series. He finished the postseason with a record 22 RBI, as well as eight homers. Five of the homers and 15 of the RBI came against the Astros.
The Rangers haven’t reached the postseason since that run, as age, injuries and regression have taken their toll over the past couple seasons. Now, it looks as if they won’t have one of their biggest past performers with them if they make it back next year.
