Texas Rangers and ALCS MVP Adolis García reach a $14 million two-year agreement.
The deal, which will keep him under Rangers management until 2026, is contingent on a medical examination.
The Texas Rangers and AL Championship Series MVP Adolis García reached a $14 million, two-year deal on Thursday, averting a salary arbitration hearing between the two teams.
Two persons with knowledge of the transaction say that the deal is awaiting a physical inspection. These individuals talked to The Associated Press on Thursday under the condition of anonymity because the escalator-related contract was still being negotiated.
Prior to the exchange of proposed salaries last month, García was the only Rangers player eligible for salary arbitration who was unable to come to an agreement. There was supposed to be a hearing in Scottsdale, Arizona on Thursday. Next winter, García would have qualified for arbitration once more.
The two-time All-Star slugger was eligible for arbitration for the first time. Last October, he established an MLB postseason record with 22 RBIs. Texas had offered $5 million, but he had asked for $6.9 million. Of the 23 players in the league that exchanged pay bids with their teams, that was the biggest difference.
Two weeks prior to the team’s annual awards banquet, García had made it clear through a translator that he was ready for a hearing. At that time, general manager Chris Young had said that he had a positive conversation with García and his delegates and had been inspired by them.
The 31-year-old Cuban outfielder earned $747,760 in his final season, setting career highs with 39 home runs and 107 RBIs in 148 games. 2022 saw him record 27 home runs and 101 RBIs. Following the 2026 season, he could become a free agent.
A strong hitter and an emotional leader for the Rangers, García hit.357 in the ALCS versus Houston, including five home runs and a record-tying 15 RBIs. He was the first player in the same postseason series to have RBIs in six straight games.
Five straight playoff games saw him go deep, including the game-winning home run against Arizona in the 11th inning of the World Series opener. However, he was sidelined by an indirect issue for the last two World Series games. In the latter part of the regular season, he also missed ten games due to a strain in his right patellar tendon.
Prior to the Rangers’ yearly awards ceremony on January 26, García expressed his happiness. After the season, he claimed to have taken almost a month off before starting his training again.
García’s next major league appearance came in three games for the Rangers during the 2020 season that was cut short due to the pandemic, following his 21-game MLB debut for the St. Louis Cardinals in 2018.
After being assigned for assignment by the franchise, García attended spring training with Texas in 2021 as a non-roster invitee, but two weeks into the season, he was called up. After becoming an All-Star, he finished fourth in the AL Rookie of the Year voting with a.243 batting line, 31 home runs, and 90 RBIs in 149 games.
Since Lee Stevens became the designated hitter in 2000, the Rangers have not had a salary arbitration hearing.
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