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Mariners Acquire Leody Taveras: What to Make of Move

Originally posted on New Baseball Media
By Chris Studley | Last updated May 6, 2025 9:25 PM ET

The Seattle Mariners claimed outfielder Leody Taveras, on the outs in Texas, off waivers on May 6. It gives the Mariners some additional outfield depth amidst injuries but also a reclamation project for a bat who’s been more aggressive in 2025.

A Look at Taveras

Once a top prospect in the Rangers’ farm system, Leody Taveras hit his stride in 2023. Taveras posted a .733 OPS in 2023, nearly recorded a 15-15 season, and came up with clutch at-bats in the Rangers’ run to the World Series title.

Since that 2023 campaign, it’s been a steady decline in terms of offensive production. Taveras owned the fourth-lowest OPS (.641) among primary center fielders in 2024, behind only Tyler Freeman, Jose Siri, and Johan Rojas. And thus far, Taveras slashed .241/.259/.342 (.601 OPS) with a home run and six stolen bases.

The perks of Taveras are A) he’s a premium defensive option, and B) he flashed a decent hit tool in spurts.

However, teams have been challenging Taveras more to hit the fastball. Now, Taveras is batting .277 off fastballs this season. The problem? His Whiff% on fastballs jumped to 29.7% in 2025, compared to 17.3% in 2024. Taveras showed the ability to poke fastballs to center field with a level approach on high ones. But, teams have been betting on him to flail on those pitches — and he’s done that this season.

Additionally, Taveras has become awfully aggressive this season with a 36.8% Whiff% rate this season. All of that came on the heels of a tough April for the Rangers, one that saw the team demote Jake Burger and hire former All-Star Bret Boone to help solve their offensive issues.

Taveras is a switch-hitter but his numbers have fluctuated against lefties and righties. The 26-year-old slashed .189/.270/.244 (.514 OPS) over 102 plate appearances last season against lefties. But this season, Taveras batted .308/.308/.308 over 13 plate appearances.

Two years ago, Taveras showed more pop (.449 SLG) against righties compared to left-handers (.343 SLG).

However, the real perk of Taveras’ game is his defense. The 26-year-old is a plus runner both on the basepaths and in the field. He covers ground in center field and is a career +24 Outs Above Average in center field.

The Mariners claimed Leody Taveras off outright waivers. Texas recalled Evan Carter after the transaction.

Analysis

Seattle is down outfield depth, as Victor Robles is likely done for 2025 after sustaining a major injury diving for a ball in San Francisco earlier this season. And in the interim, Randy Arozarena is day-to-day with a hamstring issue.

Now, Taveras isn’t a blow-away player by any means. He possesses fringe-average power and is a significantly better defensive option than a hitter. However, Taveras is valuable against left-handed pitching and gives the Mariners a more established, reliable option than the left-handed hitting Rhylan Thomas.

The other component to this deal is Seattle is on the hook for the rest of Taveras’ $4.75MM owed to him to this season. He’s out of options and if Seattle wants to, the Mariners would hold on to his rights for the next two seasons assuming he’s not non-tendered.

This article first appeared on New Baseball Media and was syndicated with permission.

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