Leody

Taveras

The deal is now official. Taveras heads to Baltimore as additional outfield depth behind young starters Colton Cowser and Dylan Beavers after struggling to a subterranean .530 OPS with three homers and nine steals in 58 games between the Mariners and Rangers last season. The 27-year-old is just a few years removed from being one of the top prospects in baseball, but he needs to show something at the dish if he’s going to remain a viable option in the majors.

It’s a $2 million deal, per Heyman. Once among the top prospects in the game, Taveras was awful in stints with the Rangers and Mariners in 2025 with a combined .205 with a .530 OPS OPS in 171 at-bats across 58 games. The 27-year-old will likely be a fourth outfielder for Baltimore with the ability to play all three outfield positions.

Taveras failed to capitalize on a fresh start with Seattle after being claimed off waivers from the division-rival Rangers, batting .174/.198/.272 with two homers and three steals in 28 games. The 27-year-old former top prospect should be able to latch on somewhere this offseason as a low-risk reclamation project, but he’s been a non-factor at the dish in the big leagues for a couple seasons at this stage of his career.

Taveras went unclaimed after hitting the waiver wire, which isn’t a huge surprise considering how badly he’s struggled with both Texas and Seattle along with a (relatively) high salary. Taveras will need to be added back to the 40-man roster to rejoin the Mariners.

The Taveras experiment is over for the Mariners after just 28 games where he batted .174/.198/.272 with two homers and three steals. The 26-year-old center fielder remains a solid defender, but he simply hasn’t produced enough at the dish in recent years to deserve an everyday role at the highest level. He’s young enough that there’s probably another organization out there willing to roll the dice, but he’s unlikely to make much of an impact for fantasy purposes no matter where he winds up.

Taveras’s two non-hits today were 102.5 and 93.9 mph lineouts, so it was a particularly encouraging day for a guy who had been 3-for-40 with 17 strikeouts since joining the Mariners. He also stole a base. The go-ahead blast off Mike Vasil was his second homer in 130 plate appearances on the season. Including his time with the Rangers, he’s batting .220/.242/.333 with a 40/4 K/BB.

Canzone is hitting .314 with 11 home runs and 27 RBI in 27 games for Triple-A Tacoma this season. The Mariners are continuing to play Leody Taveras in right field, but they could pivot to Canzone if Taveras doesn’t start to produce.

Taveras has made four consecutive starts for Seattle in right field since being claimed off waivers last week from the division-rival Rangers. The 26-year-old appears poised to continue playing everyday, but hasn’t made much of an impact at the dish so far, hitting .214 (3-for-14) with three RBI and one steal.

Taveras will be making his Seattle debut against Gunnar Hoglund and the Athletics in the series finale. The 26-year-old has occasionally flashed offensive upside, but while he will get playing time against right-handed pitching, his chances of being a fantasy-relevant player seem slim based on his struggles the last year-plus.

The Mets seemed like maybe the best fit for Taveras among contenders, but he didn’t last that long on waivers. The Mariners definitely need the outfield depth with Victor Robles and Luke Raley on the IL. It’ll be quite a change for Taveras, who has never played the outfield corners as a major leaguer. He does have some minor league experience away from center, though. The 26-year-old has hit .240/.291/.370 in 1,825 plate appearances over six big-league seasons. Expect him to start against most righties for now. It’s unlikely that he’ll offer value outside of AL-only leagues. Rhylan Thomas will probably be optioned out once Taveras reports.