Texas Rangers Offseason Tracker: Hottest Free Agency News, Trade Rumors
Anything that could have gone wrong for the Texas Rangers in 2014 did, truly making it a season to forget.
Manager Ron Washington resigned, Prince Fielder was healthy for about a week before a neck issue ended his season and Shin-Soo Choo never looked like he was healthy at all, battling a variety of injuries throughout the year.
That only begins to to scratch the surface of the issues that plagued the franchise in 2014.
With better health—and some additional reinforcements, courtesy of general manager Jon Daniels this winter—Texas will look to rejoin the upper echelon of the American League in 2015.
Keep it here for the most up-to-the-minute rumblings about the Rangers along with analysis and everything else that comes with it. While the post date will always show as Oct. 31, this will be constantly updated. Simply click to the next slide to see the latest rumors and rumblings about the Rangers as they retool the roster for the 2015 season.
Texas' Free Agents and Done Deals
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All the juicy rumors and analysis follow, but consider this your one-stop shop for all the comings and goings in Texas this winter, including the status of the team's free agents.
Done Deals
Nov. 24: Signed IF Ed Lucas to a minor-league deal with an invitation to spring training
Dec. 4: Re-signed RHP Colby Lewis to a one-year, $4 million deal
Dec. 4: Re-signed LHP Michael Kirkman to a minor-league deal with an invitation to spring training
Dec. 8: Claimed LHP Scott Barnes off waivers from the Baltimore Orioles
Dec. 11: Acquired LHP Ross Detwiler from the Washington Nationals in exchange for IF Chris Bostick and RHP Abel De Los Santos (Analysis)
Dec. 12: Signed RHP Kuji Fyujikawa to a one-year, $1 million deal
Dec. 15: Signed 1B/OF/DH Kyle Blanks to a minor-league deal with an invitation to spring training; will earn $1 million if he makes the MLB roster
Rangers Free Agents
RHP Scott Baker
LHP Neal Cotts
LHP Michael Kirkman (Dec. 2: Non-Tendered, Dec. 4: Re-signed)
RHP Colby Lewis (Dec. 4: Re-signed)
RHP Alexi Ogando (Dec. 2: Non-Tendered)
OF Alex Rios (Oct. 31: Declined $13.5 million option, will pay $1 million buyout, Dec. 15: Signed a one-year, $11 million deal with the Kansas City Royals)
IF Adam Rosales (Dec. 2: Non-Tendered)
Rule 5 Draft
Dec. 11: Selected OF Delino DeShields Jr. from the Houston Astros
Rangers Among Teams Interested in Brandon Beachy
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Friday, Dec. 19 at 12:24 p.m. ET
Despite the fact that he's coming off the second Tommy John surgery of his career, the Rangers are looking into the possibility of signing free agent starter Brandon Beachy, according to Gerry Fraley of The Dallas Morning News.
His agent, Robert Martin, told Fraley via email that multiple teams have interest in his client: “Several teams are still reviewing his medicals. I do not think a decision is imminent, but he does have multiple offers.”
Beachy, 28, owns a career mark of 14-11 with a 3.23 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, 2.9 BB/9 and 9.2 K/9 over 46 career starts with Atlanta.
His former teammate with the Braves, Kris Medlen, recently signed a two-year, $8 million pact with the Kansas City Royals, so that could be the sort of deal that Beachy is looking for as well. He'd be a high risk, high reward addition, but one that should be reasonably priced and worth the Rangers making.
Dec. 11: Acquired LHP Ross Detwiler from Washington
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Age: 28
2014 Stats: 47 G, 2-3, 4.00 ERA, 1.41 WHIP, 63 IP, 68 H, 3.0 BB/9, 5.6 K/9
Contract Status: Final year of arbitration eligibility, free agent after 2015 season
He's not the big-time starter that some Rangers fans had hoped the club would acquire at the winter meetings, but Ross Detwiler could turn out to be a valuable addition in Texas.
Pushed out of Washington's starting rotation due to its ridiculous depth in 2014, Detwiler struggled in a relief role, never able to find his comfort zone. From 2012-2013, however, he served primarily as a starter and was solid, pitching to a 3.59 ERA and 1.30 WHIP over 235.2 innings of work.
While we assume that he'll slot somewhere into the Rangers 2015 rotation, depending on what other moves the club makes, he could wind up as a swingman/long reliever out of the bullpen, which wouldn't be a terrible thing either, even with his struggles last season.
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Sergio Santos Is on Rangers Radar
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Thursday, Dec. 11 at 8:52 a.m. ET
Fox Sports' Jon Paul Morosi tweets that the Rangers have had talks with free agent reliever Sergio Santos, though he says that a deal is not close.
Santos, 31, was absolutely dreadful for Toronto in 2014, allowing 28 hits, 20 earned runs and walking 18 batters over 21 innings of work, resulting in a 8.57 ERA and 2.19 WHIP. In parts of four previous seasons, however, he posted a 3.21 ERA and 1.20 ERA, so it's not as if he's never had success before.
A bounce-back candidate, Santos isn't likely to command much if and when the Rangers decide to sign him.
Rangers Met with James Shields but Deal Is Unlikely
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Wednesday, Dec. 10 at 8:57 p.m. ET
GM Jon Daniels told Rangers beat writers, including MLB.com's TR Sullivan that while the team met with free agent starter James Shields, a deal was highly unlikely.
Shields, 32, is coming off his eighth consecutive season with at least 11 wins, 31 starts and 200 innings of work. He's exactly the kind of durable, innings-eating workhorse that the Rangers need to slot into their rotation after Yu Darvish.
Texas Talking to Mets About Dillon Gee
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Wednesday, Dec. 10 at 8:16 a.m. ET
Fox Sports' Jon Paul Morosi tweets that the Rangers and Mets have been talking about a potential deal that would send right-handed starter (and Texas native) Dillon Gee back home.
Gee, 28, went 7-8 with a 4.00 ERA and 1.25 WHIP over 22 starts for the Mets in 2014. He pitched to a 2.73 ERA over the first eight starts of the season, but injured his shoulder in early May, missed nearly two months of the season and never quite got back on track upon his return.
Under team control through the 2016 season, MLB Network Radio's Jim Duquette (via Andy Martino of the New York Daily News) reported that six teams are in on Gee, including Colorado and Minnesota (per Morosi).
Rangers Are Interested in Evan Gattis and Justin Upton
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Update: Tuesday, Dec. 9 at 3:44 p.m. ET
USA Today's Bob Nightengale says that the Braves told one AL team that in order to trade for Gattis they'd have to take B.J. Upton along with him. It's unclear whether that team was the Rangers, but it sure sounds like Atlanta doesn't want to move Gattis.
MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan says that the Braves asked the Rangers for pitching prospect Alex Gonzalez in return for Gattis, a price the Rangers won't pay.
Sullivan goes on to say that the Rangers would be interested in swinging a deal for Justin Upton, but with the intention of flipping him to another team for pitching, not keeping him. But unless the Braves were willing to take a package of players that weren't top prospects, the Rangers aren't interested.
That said, it could open the door for the Rangers to play a part in a three-way deal.
--End of Update--
Update: Tuesday, Dec. 9 at 8:15 a.m. ET
Some teams that have spoken with the Braves have told ESPN's Buster Olney that they are convinced the Braves are going to keep Gattis in 2015.
--End of Update--
Monday, Dec. 8 at 7:52 p.m. ET
The Rangers and Braves got together on Monday to talk shop, but the topic of conversation wasn't believed to be Justin Upton, but rather Evan Gattis, reports Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News.
Gattis, 28, hit .263 with 22 home runs, 52 RBI and a .810 OPS over 108 games for Atlanta in 2014, spending time both behind the plate and in a corner outfield spot.
The Texas native would not only provide the Rangers lineup with another potent bat, but potentially allow the club to not carry a traditional backup catcher for Robinson Chirinos, potentially freeing up another roster spot.
David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution notes that while the Braves aren't shopping Gattis, the Rangers have a number of young pieces that could be of interest to Atlanta, a list that includes pitchers Jake Thompson and Alex Gonzalez along with outfielder Nomar Mazara.
Rangers Talking Pitching with San Diego
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Update: Monday, Dec. 8 at 4:45 p.m. ET
MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan tweets that the Rangers actually have more interest in Tyson Ross than Andrew Cashner, who Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News reported was the team's top target earlier today.
Like Cashner, Ross is young (27) and is actually under team control for a year longer than Cashner is, through the 2017 season.
The righty made his first All-Star appearance in 2014, going 13-14 with a 2.81 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, 3.3 BB/9 and 9.0 K/9 over 31 starts. He fell 4.1 innings shy of cracking the 200-inning plateau for the first time in his career.
San Diego has interest in infielder Jurickson Profar, but Joel Sherman of the New York Post tweets that a straight Profar-for-Ross (or Cashner or Ian Kennedy) deal isn't going to happen as the Padres would want more in return.
--End of Update--
Monday, Dec. 8 at 11:08 a.m. ET
Rangers GM Jon Daniels explained to Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News that he's not convinced the best strategy for his club is to add a "big name" to the mix, like Justin Upton or Jordan Zimmermann, and that the Rangers might be better off continuing to build the team's core with young, controllable pieces.
That's why he's reached out to his former assistant, A.J. Preller, now the GM in San Diego, about a potential deal for right-handed starter (and Texas native) Andrew Cashner.
Cashner, 28, battled injury in 2014 and was limited to 16 starts for the Padres. But he was effective when he took the mound, pitching to a 2.55 ERA and 1.13 WHIP with a 2.1 BB/9 and 6.8 K/9. San Diego is known to be seeking offense, and it's possible one of the Rangers young middle infielders could be part of a package to bring Cashner back home.
Michael Choice One of Texas' More Valuable Trade Chips?
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Monday, Dec. 8 at 4:42 p.m. ET
One name that is drawing interest at the winter meetings is outfielder Michael Choice, per T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com.
Teams are intrigued by his upside—and that the 25-year-old has some pop in his right-handed bat certainly doesn't hurt—but it's not as if he tore the cover off the ball when he got a chance to play last season.
In 86 games (280 PA), Choice hit only .182/.250/.370 with 16 extra-base hits (nine home runs) and 36 RBI. He was far more successful with Triple-A Round Rock, hitting .267/.379/.460 with 15 XBH (7 HR) and 31 RBI in 43 games.
Profar and Odor Attracting Lots of Interest
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Monday, Dec. 8 at 4:36 p.m. ET
GM Jon Daniels' phone is burning up with teams calling about the availability of the Rangers young middle infielders, specifically Rougned Odor and Jurickson Profar, according to MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan.
While the Rangers aren't shopping Odor, the team seems to be willing to at least listen to the offers that come in—you never know when someone's going to make an offer that you can't refuse, after all.
Elvis Andrus and Luis Sardinas are also sure to come in talks between Daniels and his counterparts around the game this week.
Rangers Are Interested in Jonny Gomes
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Thursday, Dec. 4 at 9:40 a.m. ET
ESPN's Jerry Crasnick tweets that the Rangers are one of three teams, along with the Cubs and Mariners, that have interest in veteran outfielder Jonny Gomes.
Gomes, 34, had a rather forgettable 2014, hitting .234 with 14 extra-base hits (six home runs), 37 RBI and a .657 OPS over 112 games for the A's and Red Sox.
He's not a full-time player at this point in his career, but his right-handed bat remains a strong option for a team to insert in the lineup when facing a left-handed pitcher. Gomes' numbers against southpaws in 2014 (.276/.373/.371) aren't that far off from his career marks (.277/.376/.485).
Korean Cy Young Award Winner Won't Be Joining Rangers
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Update: Wednesday, Nov. 26 at 11:37 a.m. ET
Hyeon-jong Yang's club, the Kia Tigers, has rejected the wining bid for the 26-year-old southpaw and, thus, will not allow him to negotiate a contract with a MLB club, per Dan Kurtz of MyKBO.net.
--End of Update--
Monday, Nov. 24 at 4:45 p.m. ET
Fox Sports' C.J. Nitkowski tweets that the Texas Rangers had the high bid (roughly $1.5 million) for the right to negotiate with 26-year-old Korean southpaw Hyeon-jong Yang.
Yang won the first-ever Choi Dong-won Award, the KBO's version of the Cy Young Award—after making 28 starts for the Kia Tigers, going 16-8 with a 4.25 ERA. As Berardino notes, Korean baseball is a far more high scoring game than MLB, which makes his ERA seem far less impressive than it is:
"His ERA was 18.4 percent lower than the league-wide ERA of 5.21. That equates to a 3.05 ERA in the major leagues, where the league ERA was just 3.74."
Yang throws in the low-to-mid 90s and projects as a No. 3 starter in the big leagues, perhaps a low-end No. 2 if he continues to develop.
Yang's current team is said to be unhappy with the winning bid amount and may not allow him to be posted at all.
Jon Daniels Envisions a Busy Winter of Trades for Rangers
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Update: Sunday, Nov. 23 at 1:55 p.m. ET
The Rangers are open to trading any of their middle infielders in the right deal, including Elvis Andrus, tweets Fox Sports' Ken Rosenthal, though the team believes Andrus is going to have a big, bounceback year in 2015.
Along those same lines, Rosenthal lists Jorge Alfaro and Joey Gallo as the only "off-limit" prospects in trade discussions. That could open the door to a floodgate of moves, depending on how much GM Jon Daniels wants to shake things up.
--End of Update--
Sunday, Nov. 16 at 4:55 p.m. ET
During a guest appearance on MLB Network Radio with Jim Bowden, Rangers GM Jon Daniels laid out the team's needs this winter. Not surprisingly, starting pitching was at the top of the list, followed by a catcher and then either a left fielder or a designated hitter.
Rather than spend lavishly on free agents, Daniels indicated that trades, and not signing free agents, was the way the team would fill those needs.
After spending big last winter to acquire Shin-Soo Choo and take on significant salary to add Prince Fielder via trade, it's understandable why the club isn't eager to add another high-priced free agent.
That said, there are a number of free agent starters that would be fantastic additions to the rotation, starting with the "Big Three" of Jon Lester, James Shields and Max Scherzer. It's hard to envision the Rangers not at least having some conversations with the agents for those arms to see if there's a deal to be struck.
Elvis Andrus: Trade Candidate
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Update: Sunday, Nov. 15 at 4:48 p.m. ET
While a guest on MLB Network Radio with Jim Bowden, GM Jon Daniels said that he'll listen to offers for Andrus because of the team's middle infield depth.
As for the Yankees rumored interest, that seems to have been overstated, with sources close to the team saying that Andrus going to the Bronx was a longshot.
--End of Update--
Monday, Nov. 10 at 7:51 p.m. ET
Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports that the New York Yankees have expressed interest in Rangers shortstop Elvis Andrus, though it's unclear whether the two teams have had any substantive talks about a potential deal.
Andrus, 26, is coming off a down year on both sides of the ball and is about to see his $120 million extension, which runs through 2022, kick in next season. With a bevy of talented, young middle infielders, including Jurickson Profar, Rougned Odor and Luis Sardinas, moving Andrus and his burdensome deal might be preferable for the Rangers.
Rangers Are Looking for a Complement to Chirinos Behind the Plate
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Friday, Nov. 7 at 7:07 p.m. ET
One of the things on GM Jon Daniels' wish list this offseason is to find another catcher to compliment Robinson Chirinos, who heads into the 2015 season as the team's starter behind the plate.
"We like the depth we've built at the upper levels of the system, and [we] have confidence in Chirinos in the big leagues," general manager Jon Daniels told MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan. "We'd like to add a complement to him and let some of the younger guys develop."
While Jorge Alfaro and Tomas Telis represent the future, neither one is ready for the big leagues.
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