WEST SACRAMENTO -- Badly needing depth for their beleaguered outfield, the Mariners on Tuesday claimed veteran Leody Taveras off waivers from the Rangers, a familiar face within the division over the past five-plus seasons and fixture from Texas’ 2023 World Series title team.
But the move comes at a cost, as the Mariners must absorb the remainder of Taveras’ $4.75 million salary for 2025, which amounts to roughly $3.5 million, a figure that could play into how the Mariners handle their budget the rest of the way -- including the July 31 Trade Deadline.
Taveras, 26, was placed on outright waivers by the Rangers on Tuesday, in the midst of a season in which he’s slashing .241/.259/.342 (.601 OPS) with a 28% strikeout rate, 2.4% walk rate, one homer, one triple, three doubles and eight RBIs, good for a 68 wRC+ (league average is 100) and 0.3 wins above replacement, per FanGraphs.
Taveras is not expected to join the club for their second game at Sutter Health Field vs. the A’s, but he could possibly be in uniform for their series finale on Wednesday afternoon.
Seattle also made a series of other roster moves on Tuesday:
• UTIL Dylan Moore (right hip inflammation) reinstated from 10-day injured list
• INF/OF Samad Taylor optioned to Triple-A Tacoma
• RHP Luis F. Castillo designated for assignment
Despite the shortcomings with his bat, Taveras has remained effective with his glove, ranking in the 85th percentile in outs above average, per Statcast. He’s played all 30 of his games this year in center field but will shift to right in Seattle, and he also switch-hits, though he’s been more effective from the left side.
Taveras was placed on waivers rather than being DFA’d in the hopes that another club would take on his salary, and his roster spot was taken by Evan Carter -- the former No. 5 overall prospect -- when Carter was recalled from Triple-A Round Rock. Texas has been going through a significant offensive shakeup, headlined by former Mariners icon Bret Boone being hired as its new hitting coach on Monday after offensive coordinator Donnie Ecker was let go.
Taveras has been with the Rangers his whole career, debuting in 2020 and reaching a new peak in 2023, when he was worth 2.4 WAR and 100 wRC+, with a .733 OPS and 14 homers -- all career highs -- while also playing in all 17 of their postseason games en route to the title.
In some ways, his path to the Mariners mirrors that of Victor Robles, who was DFA’d and then released by Washington last June before being signed as a free agent, albeit for the pro-rated league minimum. Robles then turned into a revelation for the Mariners, but his fractured left shoulder is part of why Taveras is here now.
With Robles out until around the All-Star break and Luke Raley (right oblique strain) sidelined for a minimum of six weeks, the Mariners’ outfield need has become glaring.
Monday night’s extra-innings loss was a prime example, when Randy Arozarena (right hamstring soreness) was unavailable to come off the bench in the 11th inning. Out of outfield options after pinch-hitting Mitch Garver against a lefty reliever, Leo Rivas was forced to shift from second base to left field and Jorge Polanco from designated hitter to second base, setting up an infield alignment that led to a walk-off loss.
That’s obviously one very specific scenario, but it underscored the state of the Mariners’ outfield depth. Because even with Arozarena saying pregame that he expects to return to the lineup on Tuesday, the Mariners can ill-afford many more injuries, even minor ones. They’ve remarkably withstood the pains by climbing to first place in the American League West, at 20-14.
Moore could be an immediate boon to help. As expected he was only on the IL the minimum number of days and will look to keep pace from his strong start, as he’s slashing .286/.346/.557 (.903 OPS) with six homers, good for 161 wRC+ and 0.5 WAR.