ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Rangers first baseman Nathaniel Lowe and pitchers Taylor Hearn, Jonathan Hernández and Brett Martin agreed to one-year contracts Friday, avoiding salary arbitration.
Lowe gets $4.05 million, Hearn $1,462,500, Hernandez $995,000, and Martin $1,275,000.
The only other Texas player eligible for arbitration was catcher Mitch Garver, who missed the final three months last season after undergoing surgery on the flexor tendon in his right arm. Garver and the Rangers were set to exchange proposed salaries Friday, and the sides would go to a hearing in February if they don’t reach an agreement before then.
Lowe set career highs by hitting .302 with 27 home runs and 76 RBIs last season. He was the Rangers’ first .300 hitter since 2016 and his AL-high 150 starts at first base were the most for Texas since Mark Teixeira in 2006.
Martin was 1-7 with three saves and a 4.14 ERA in 55 appearances last year, but the left-hander is scheduled to have shoulder surgery next week that could keep him from pitching in 2023.
Hearn, a lefty, was 6-8 with a 5.13 ERA over 13 starts and 18 relief appearances last season. Hernández went 2-3 with four saves and a 2.97 ERA in 29 relief appearances, all after July 16 when the right-hander returned from Tommy John surgery that forced him to miss the 2021 season.
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