JUNE 30: Daniels cannot imagine a scenario in which either Darvish or Beltre would be dealt, he said in an appearance today on Sirius XM MLB Network Radio (via a tweet from host Jim Bowden).
JUNE 25: Jon Heyman of CBS Sports hears from rival GMs and executives around the game that the Rangers will listen to trade proposals for anyone. Beltre and Darvish, however, are “on another level” from the rest of the team, and executives that have spoken to Heyman can’t envision either being traded. One big reason for that reluctance is that the Rangers expect to be good next year when Prince Fielder, Derek Holland, Jurickson Profar, Martin Perez and others have returned to health.
One GM tells Heyman that he thinks Andrus makes much more sense as a trade chip than most people realize. Andrus, of course, is guaranteed $15MM annually from 2015-20 and $14MM annually in 2021-22. He can opt out of his contract following the 2018 or 2019 season if he wishes.
Soria, Heyman notes, could be the star of the bullpen market, and Rios is likely to be sought after as well. He adds that the Rangers aren’t intent on trading too many players, but they seem intent on making some deals. As one GM tells Heyman: “They are open to anything with the vet core.”
JUNE 23: GM Jon Daniels has begun putting out feelers to assess the trade value of the club’s “core-type” players, a source tells Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News. Having fallen 11-and-a-half back in the division and staring at a tough stretch of games ahead, the Rangers appear to be preparing for the possibility of selling one or more significant pieces over the summer.
Of course, it remains quite early, and any number of factors could still result in Texas standing pat. Unsurprisingly, Daniels has not varied his public stance. “We’ve grown accustomed the last couple of years to being in the pole position or near it,” he said. “You adjust your point of view based on the standings. But you consider a lot of different things. There is no rule you have to make a major change before the deadline.”
While the report did not include any specific information regarding particular players, Grant did go on to discuss some of the players who might fall under the “core-type” label. He lists Elvis Andrus, whose value is held down by his contract, and Alex Rios, whose contract has somewhat surprisingly turned into something of an asset, along with Joakim Soria, Adrian Beltre, and ace Yu Darvish. Needless to say, it would be a stunning development were Texas even to listen on Darvish; while Grant does not suggest that is under consideration, he does note that the club was willing to part with Mark Teixeira back in 2007.
