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Should Orioles Re-Sign Leody Taveras?
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- Should Orioles Re-Sign Leody Taveras?
(IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect)
The Baltimore Orioles will have a decision to make on their outfield this offseason with their crowded depth chart including notable names like Colton Cowser, Dylan Beavers and Luis Robert Jr.
That leaves center fielder Leody Taveras who joined the Orioles on a one-year, $2 million deal in free agency during the 2025 offseason.
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The 28-year-old Taveras made his way to Baltimore from the Seattle Mariners who picked him up off waivers mid-season from the Texas Rangers, who he spent his first five full major-league seasons with.
However, he hasn't quite made a case for himself as to why Baltimore should be giving him another contract given that he finished the season batting .219 while recording a .633 OPS and knocking in 56 RBI. He also launched eight home runs through 139 games of action.
Taveras' final season with Texas wasn't much better with him recording a .241 batting average that fell below the Mendoza line to .174 during his brief stint as a Mariner.
Going back to his time with Baltimore, Taveras faced stiff competition against the likes of Cowser and Robert Jr. Cowser's bat showed a tad more life this year with him hitting .226 and launching 13 home runs. Furthermore, he's made some clutch plays that kept the Orioles in it until their end-of-season demise. Most notably, he robbed the Colorado Rockies' Jake McCarthy of a walk-off homer to seal a 2-1 win in Baltimore's favor.
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Meanwhile, Robert Jr. put up a slightly better season as well, hitting .221 while recording a .182 average with Baltimore after joining the organization from the New York Mets in late August.
Taveras was first in the Orioles' right field chart although Beavers had a respectable sophomore season in which he hit .228 and drove in 44 runs across 104 games.
Beavers also had a decent rookie season last year, hitting .227 and recording a .775 OPS that justified the Orioles' choice to draft him 33rd overall in the 2022 MLB Draft.
With all this in mind, Orioles general manager Mike Elias would be justified in moving on from Taveras as much as it would hurt for him to be sent packing yet again in less than two seasons.
Taveras will have to work hard on his swing this offseason to get any shot at landing a spot on a team going forward whether it is Baltimore or elsewhere in the league.
