The Seattle Mariners announced Tuesday that they have claimed outfielder Leody Taveras off of waivers from the Texas Rangers. Correspondingly, they’ve designated RHP Luis F. Castillo for assignment. Additionally, Seattle activated UTIL Dylan Moore off the 10-day injured list, optioning UTIL Samad Taylor back to Triple-A Tacoma.
The move came after Taveras was somewhat surprisingly designated for assignment by Texas recently. Owed $4.75 million this season through arbitration, the 26 year old has struggled to match his promising 2022-2023 performance and was at a meager .241/.259/.342 pace with a 68 wRC+ when Texas cut bait. Seattle is apparently willing to pay the remaining prorated cost for Taveras, who has two more years under club control after this one in theory.
From 2017 through 2021, Taveras was one of the most promising prospects in baseball, frequently ranking in the top 50 after signing a $2.1 million signing bonus in 2015 out of the Dominican Republic. Always an extremely speedy runner, Taveras has long also been an excellent, rangy outfielder who can bring value to a club even when he’s not hitting. A switch-hitter, Taveras has been moderately more effective from the left side than the right, particularly in terms of hitting for power. Much like Victor Robles a year ago, Seattle is taking a shot on a still-young, highly talented player whose floor of tools will benefit the roster but whose offensive approach is not currently effective. Perhaps pressing or otherwise attempting to adjust, Taveras is walking less than ever in 2025, while striking out and popping up more. Whether Seattle sees a mechanical adjustment to make or simply believes better is possible for a player who was an integral piece in Texas’ World Series title in 2023 remains to be seen. Rhylan Thomas seems the likeliest player to be optioned for Taveras once he can be activated in the next day or two.
In the fold once more as well is Moore, whose return is ideal to face LHP Jeffrey Springs in Sacramento this evening. Moore was expected to miss merely the minimum time, but it’s still a huge relief for a thinly stretched M’s roster. Taylor will return to Triple-A Tacoma to hopefully continue mashing, while Castillo will either do the same after clearing waivers or join another organization’s rotation depth.
