The Rangers Cut Loose Three World Series Heroes

As the 2025 non-tender deadline approached on November 21st at 4P.M. central time, the Rangers had some choices to make with some key players. The two main candidates being ALCS MVP and basically playoff hero Adolis García, and the 2023 starting catcher for the All-star game Jonah Heim. The Rangers ended up not tendering contracts to four players. Those being Adolis García, Jonah Heim, Josh Sborz, and Jacob Webb. The Rangers reportedly attempted to trade García and Heim before the deadline on Friday, but no deal materialized.

Adolis García- Adolis will forever have a special place in Rangers fans hearts after his amazing 2023 season, and his playoff heroics later that season. It hurts to see his time end with the Rangers the way it did, but the writing was on the wall since August. García hasn't been the same offensive player he was back in 2023, his stats have regressed a good amount. In 2023 Adolis had 39 HRs, 107 RBIs, and an 836 OPS with a 121 WRC+. In the last two years combined, however, he has a .225 AVG, and ranks 145th in OPS out of 155 over the last two seasons. Unfortunately, it is just time to move on, the Rangers can't afford to possibly have another season of him struggling offensively with how much he is getting paid. Adolis was projected to get around 12 million dollars in 2026, Fangraphs has him valued at 6 million dollars. It is definitely time to move on sadly from him, but his time with the team definitely will not be forgotten. Him gunning runners trying to advance, him seemingly embracing clutch moments, and him absolutely owning the Houston Astros are going to be what I miss the most.

Jonah Heim- Jonah also played a huge part in the Rangers success in 2023. He started at catcher for the AL in the All-star game that year so he obviously had a great year. Beyond his good offensive year where he drove in 95 runs, he was elite defensively. Jonah won the gold glove in the AL, and turned countless balls into strikes. He also caught pretty much all of the postseason, and threw out Gunnar Henderson trying to steal second base in game one of the ALDS which was huge. But like García, Heim hasn't been the same since 2023 In the last two years combined he has a .217 AVG, and ranks 154th in OPS out of 155. He did get a wrist injury in August in which he probably should have gotten surgery for, but reports never came out that he did. I'm thinking that has affected him, especially catching. Some also wonder if the Rangers played him too much in the 2023 season. Regardless, the Rangers need more production from the catching position which is another reason they have decided to move on from Jonah. Also, Jonah was projected to get around 6 million in arbitration, and he hasn't played up to that value. In addition, the Rangers are cutting payroll back a little in 2026 so this will give them some payroll flexibility to put back into the roster.

Josh Sborz- Josh was also another key contributor to the Rangers success in 2023, especially in the postseason where he was basically unhittable. He also has arguably thrown the most iconic pitch in Rangers history, which clinched the Rangers a World Series championship. Sborz has a little bit of a different story as to why the Rangers non-tendered him. It wasn't that Sborz hasn't pitched well for the Rangers it's more that he really hasn't pitched for them. Sborz threw 16.1 innings for the Rangers in 2024, and then missed all of 2025 because of a shoulder injury, he was rehabbing for most of 2025 trying to come back. Shoulder injuries for pitchers are the worst, and Josh Sborz's injury didn't do him any favors. Sborz pitched 12 innings in AA and AAA this year and posted a 5.25 ERA. When the news broke that the Rangers non-tendered him it may have shocked some fans, but it didn't shock me at all. I watched Sborz pitch in AA and his velo was down to 92-93 MPH on his fastball which normally sat 96-98. On top of that, he just didn't seem as effective on the mound. With the Rangers not having a lot of payroll flexibility I saw this move happening. It is an unfortunate side of the game.

Jacob Webb- This one surprised me a little bit because he was solid in 2025. Webb threw 66 innings for the Rangers in 2025 where he posted a 3.00 ERA. He wasn't amazing but very solid in most pitching categories. With the Rangers having a lot of bullpen arms that were on the team in 2025 becoming free agents I thought Webb would have been tendered a contract. Especially not being too expensive, Webb was projected to get a little over 2 million dollars in arbitration. However, it looks like the Rangers are going to use that money to re-invest into the roster.

I would also like to note that the Rangers and Sam Haggerty agreed to a one-year contract to avoid arbitration.

With these moves, the Rangers clear roughly $20 million in projected payroll. That money can be used to add relief pitching, a catcher, or a right fielder. President of Baseball Operations Chris Young and GM Ross Fenstermaker have significant work ahead this winter to assemble a roster capable of returning to the postseason.