Could the Texas Rangers’ hitting overhaul be the New York Mets’ gain?
As first reported by The Athletic’s MLB insider Ken Rosenthal, the Rangers put center fielder Leody Taveras on outright waivers Monday morning. According to MLB Trade Rumors, a team that “wins” the claim — it will last 48 hours — will pay the remaining $3.8 million of his $4.75 million deal. The order is determined by win-loss record, with the worst record getting priority.
Taveras, who has two more years of arbitration, won’t become a free agent until 2028. The 26-year-old would be able to decline an assignment to Triple-A if he clears waivers.
With owner Steve Cohen’s financial might and president of baseball operations David Stearns’ ability to unearth marginal improvements around the roster, would the Mets see Taveras as a worthy investment?
Why it makes sense
― It will only cost money. Even though The Dallas Morning News’ Evan Grant said the Rangers got no traction when they dangled Taveras around the league for a trade, that would have also required a player outlay.
― With Jose Siri injured, the Mets don’t really have a backup center fielder behind Tyrone Taylor, who was supposed to split time with Siri. José Azócar, 28, is a career minor leaguer with a light bat (73 OPS+ in 414 career MLB plate appearances; he has a .699 OPS in the minors over 3,861 plate appearances.) Jeff McNeil, while a versatile player, is not a natural center fielder, and Brandon Nimmo is no longer suited for everyday center field reps.
― Stearns has proven he will eschew center field hitting for defense — last offseason, he signed Harrison Bader and traded for Taylor, and this offseason, he traded for Siri. None of these players are above-average hitters. Taveras (74 OPS+ across 82 plate appearances this season) is not either, but he is a standout defensive player, and Stearns has shown a proclivity to target those up-the-middle types.
― Taveras would give the Mets a left-handed hitting option to pair with Taylor, the right-handed hitter. Taveras has done his best work (.678 OPS to .612 OPS) against righty pitchers.
― Taveras is also a strong base runner with 86th percentile sprint speed.
― The Mets’ upper-minors center field depth is thin. Drew Gilbert, 24, is in Triple-A but his prospect stock has fallen and he’s not on the 40-man roster. He’s also a player capable of playing all three outfield spots rather than a plus center fielder.
― Taveras was a former top prospect — in 2017, Baseball America ranked him as the Rangers’ No. 1 and MLB’s 47th-best.
“Taveras has a chance for five average to plus tools at a premium position,” Baseball America wrote in 2018.
And he has shown flashes of his skills.
He has accumulated a 2.9 WAR (Baseball Reference) season and 101 OPS+ season on his resume, and it came in 2023. Taveras has hit a ball 112.9 mph in his career, indicating he has some latent power, though he has only reached 109.8 mph this season. He’s reached 12 and 14 home runs in his career. Does Taveras have untapped upside?
Why it doesn’t make sense
― By OPS+, Taveras has only once (2023) been an above-average hitter, with this one at 74 OPS+. The Mets could get that production from their minor-league callups for cheaper.
― On Sunday, the Rangers fired offensive coordinator Donnie Ecker with their offense ranking 29th in runs scored (113). If they thought Taveras had some thump in his bat, wouldn’t they have kept their homegrown player?
― Taveras is out of minor-league options, hindering the flexibility around the Mets’ roster. It would mean, even if he were struggling, the Mets would be forced to look elsewhere on the roster for a demotion or waive Taveras. Stearns has often talked about this component of building a winner.
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