Rangers release Adolis García and Jonah Heim, they are now free agents
The Texas Rangers have made important decisions for the upcoming MLB season, by not offering contracts to several key players. Among them, outfielder Adolis García and catcher Jonah Heim stand out. This move makes García and Heim free agents, meaning they can negotiate and sign with any team in the league, including the Rangers. Adolis García, 32, and Jonah Heim, 30, were key pieces in the Rangers’ 2023 World Series victory. However, their performance in recent seasons has not been as expected. García, who was the Most Valuable Player of the American League Championship Series in 2023, had an OPS (On-Base Plus Slugging) of 1.108 in the postseason of that year. However, in the following two seasons, his OPS was below .700. In 2025, he batted .227 with 19 home runs, with a salary exceeding 9 million dollars. For his part, Heim batted .213 last season, with 11 home runs and an OPS of .602, earning 4.57 million dollars. Both players were expecting salary increases through arbitration, but the Rangers, seeking to reduce costs, decided not to offer them contracts. The Rangers’ right-handed pitcher, Josh Sborz, also became a free agent after not receiving a contract offer for 2026.Other players who were also released include pitcher Alek Manoah (Atlanta Braves), infielder Nathaniel Lowe (Boston Red Sox), catcher Reese McGuire (Chicago Cubs), pitcher Carson Spiers (Cincinnati Reds), pitcher Sam Hentges (Cleveland Guardians), outfielder Mike Tauchman (Chicago White Sox), reliever Jason Foley and infielder Andy Ibanez (Detroit Tigers), pitcher Evan Phillips (Los Angeles Dodgers), pitchers Mark Leiter Jr, Scott Effross and Ian Hamilton (New York Yankees), pitcher Gregory Santos (Seattle Mariners), catcher Andrew Knizner (San Francisco Giants), and infielder Christopher Morel (Tampa Bay Rays). All other arbitration-eligible players received contracts, meaning they will remain tied to their teams for the 2026 season. Their salaries will be determined through negotiations between the team and the player, or through arbitration. The deadline marked the last opportunity for teams to release arbitration-eligible players without committing to pay at least 30 days of salary if the player is released.Regardless of what happens in the future, Adolis, Jonah, and Josh will always be remembered for their contributions to the first World Series title in franchise history.
Chris Young, Rangers’ president of baseball operations
