Adolis Garcia was one of the single most important players in the Texas Rangers’ World Series run.
He hit 39 home runs in the regular season with a 124 wRC+ and 4.8 fWAR, and he scored 108 runs and drove in 107.
Even defensive numbers liked him.
Then, in the postseason, he turned into a monster: pitchers just couldn’t get him out.
Now, a few months later, the Rangers are willing to let a third party decide his salary; and not only that, but they will be looking for reasons to criticize Garcia in an attempt to lower his salary.
This process, called a salary arbitration hearing, will take place on Thursday.
“Postseason star Adolis Garcia and the Rangers are scheduled for an arbitration hearing tomorrow,” MLB insider Jon Heyman tweeted.
Postseason star Adolis Garcia and the Rangers are scheduled for an arbitration hearing tomorrow
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) February 7, 2024
The problem is that Garcia and the Rangers had the largest gap in their proposed salaries before the deadline to exchange numbers.
Garcia wants $6.9 million, and the Rangers want to pay him $5 million.
Only one side will win: there will be no middle point.
In an attempt to control his salary and hold it in check (relatively) in future seasons, the Rangers might just make one of their biggest stars a disgruntled, dissatisfied player.
It’s important for them to keep it at $5 million because there will be large increases in the second and third years of arbitration.
The bigger the salary is this year, the bigger it will be in the future.
We will know who won by Thursday, but this always projects the look of a lose-lose situation.
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