The Texas Rangers and outfielder Adolis Garcia reportedly have agreed to a two-year contract to avoid an arbitration hearing, according to Jon Heyman of the New York Post.
The deal gives Adolis Garcia $14 million over two years guaranteed with escalators based on plate appearances and MVP votes, according to Heyman.
Garcia was a huge part of the Rangers winning their first World Series championship in 2023, coming through with many clutch hits in the postseason. It is good for the Rangers that they are avoiding arbitration for the next two years with one of their most important players.
The Rangers and Garcia could still go to an arbitration hearing down the line in 2026, but it will be nice for the organization, the player and the fans to not worry about that for a couple of years. Now, Garcia can report to spring training and focus on trying to repeat with the Rangers.
Garcia is an interesting story. He debuted in MLB with the St. Louis Cardinals in 2018, playing in just 21 games, according to Baseball Reference. He did not resurface in MLB until 2020 with the Rangers, when he played in just three games. Since 2021, Garcia has been a key player for Texas, and he really put things together in 2023, like the team did as a whole.
In the 2023 season, Garcia hit .245 with a .328 on-base percentage with a career-high 39 home runs, according to Baseball Reference, proving to be a vital part of the Rangers' lineup alongside other stars like Corey Seager and Marcus Semien.
Now that Garcia's contract is settled for 2024 and 2025, it will be interesting to see how he and the Rangers fare as they try to defend their World Series title.