The Rangers won the offseason with high-profile acquisitions of Shin-Soo Choo and Prince Fielder, and they figure to compete again in 2014, but they've taken on two contracts that could be onerous in a few years, and now they're dealing with injury issues.
Major League Signings
- OF Shin-Soo Choo: Seven years, $130MM.
- C Geovany Soto: Re-signed for one year and $3.05MM.
- C J.P. Arencibia: One year, $1.8MM, plus up to $300K in incentives.
- SP Tommy Hanson: Split deal worth $125K guaranteed. Hanson can make up to $3.6MM with incentives.
- SP Joe Saunders: Major-league deal worth $250K guaranteed. Saunders can earn up to $3.65MM with incentives.
- SP Martin Perez: Four years, $12.5MM, with three club options
- Traded 2B Ian Kinsler to the Tigers for Prince Fielder and $30MM.
- Traded OF Craig Gentry and P Josh Lindblom to Athletics for OF Michael Choice and 2B Chris Bostick.
- Traded 1B Chris McGuiness to Pirates for RP Miles Mikolas.
- Claimed SS Andy Parrino from Athletics.
- Claimed P Pedro Figueroa from Rays.
- Claimed P Shawn Tolleson from Dodgers.
- Kinsler, Gentry, Nelson Cruz, Joe Nathan, Matt Garza, A.J. Pierzynski, Lance Berkman, David Murphy, Jeff Baker, Ross Wolf
Meanwhile, Jurickson Profar, who was to become the Rangers' new second baseman, would have provided at least the chance that the team wouldn't miss Kinsler too much. Profar struggled in his first extended shot in the big leagues in 2013, but as a former elite prospect who only recently turned 21, he should have been able to take a step forward in 2014. The 31-year-old Kinsler, meanwhile, had declined both offensively and defensively since his outstanding 2011 season. Unfortunately, the Rangers announced on Sunday that Profar would be out ten to 12 weeks with a muscle tear.
Long-term, the Fielder-for-Kinsler swap is a complex proposition. Even with the $30MM the Rangers received from the Tigers in the deal, and even with Kinsler's own large contract heading the other way, the Rangers added $76MM in salary in the trade, and they'll effectively be paying Fielder $138MM ($168MM minus $30MM) through 2020. The Rangers will need to hope that Fielder's relatively pedestrian .279/.362/.457 2013 season wasn't the start of a trend. Given his deficiencies on defense and on the basepaths, that line made him worth just 2.2 WAR in 2013. And seven years is an awfully long commitment for a slugger who's about to turn 30, particularly given Fielder's physique.
The Rangers did, of course, rid themselves of Kinsler's contract, but there's reason to think that Kinsler, a more athletic player who maintains some defensive value, might decline more slowly than Fielder will. Age can be unkind to big sluggers. The Rangers' Fielder acquisition suited their needs brilliantly in the short term. In the long term, his contract could become a big problem.
The Rangers also made what was nearly a challenge trade with their division rivals in Oakland, sending whiz defensive outfielder Craig Gentry and depth pitching option Josh Lindblom in return for outfield prospect Michael Choice and young middle infielder Chris Bostick. Lindblom lacks upside and Bostick is little more than a lottery ticket, given his strikeout issues in Class A. So the deal mostly boils down to Gentry for Choice. Gentry is clearly a valuable player, but the Rangers wanted Leonys Martin to play every day in center, and Choice, who's coming off a strong season in Triple-A Sacramento, should give the Rangers a good, cheap option in a corner or DH whenever they have space for him.
The Rangers needed to find not one but two catchers, with both A.J. Pierzynski and Geovany Soto eligible for free agency after 2013. Rather than splurging on top free agent option Brian McCann, the Rangers brought Soto back, this time as a starter, and signed J.P. Arencibia to be his backup. Given that the Rangers proved perfectly willing to spend money elsewhere, these were savvy moves, even though there's downside risk, particularly in Arencibia's case. Soto vanished into backup-catcherdom thanks to a bad 2012 season, even though he was still fairly young and had a long track record of providing value. After a .245/.328/.466 season as Pierzynski's caddy in 2013, the Rangers are paying barely over $3MM to have Soto start. He's still a credible starting catcher, and his cost is negligible by the standards of MLB free-agent contracts.
Their signing of Arencibia was also a clever move. Arencibia is coming off a disastrous offensive season in Toronto, and his inability to hit for average is a problem even in the best of circumstances. He is developing a great reputation as a pitch-framer, however, and he has outstanding power for a catcher. It's not hard to imagine a season in which he bats .210 but remains very valuable by helping Rangers pitchers and belting 15 home runs in a very power-friendly ballpark.
The Rangers also added an interesting relief arm in Miles Mikolas, giving up only Chris McGuiness, a left-handed first baseman who would be stretched as a starter and who served little purpose with both Fielder and Moreland available. Mikolas doesn't have any immediate role on the 2014 Rangers, but he throws hard and gets ground balls, and he held his own in a half-season with the Padres in 2012.
On the extension front, the Rangers signed young starter Martin Perez to a four-year, $12.5MM deal that buys out two pre-arbitration seasons and two arbitration seasons, while giving the Rangers reasonable options on Perez's last arbitration season and two free-agency years ($6MM or a $2.45MM buyout in 2018, $7.5MM or a $750K buyout in 2019, and $9MM with a $250K buyout in 2020). The deal is extremely favorable to the Rangers, since $12.5MM is such a meager sum and since the contract gives the Rangers so much flexibility with Perez's age-27 through age-29 seasons. Perez is already off to a good start in his big-league career, and if he can improve at all beyond his performance in 2013, his contract will turn into a bargain very quickly.
Finally, the Rangers added Tommy Hanson and Joe Saunders on cheap contracts, hoping to replenish their starting pitching in the wake of a significant injury to Derek Holland. Tanner Scheppers will now join Yu Darvish and Perez in the Rangers' rotation, with Saunders, Hanson, Robbie Ross and Colby Lewis competing for the final two spots, while Alexi Ogando moves to the bullpen to set up Joakim Soria.
The rotation with which the Rangers are about to enter 2014 probably isn't what they would have imagined for themselves in October, but they'll have to make do. Hanson struggled with the Angels in 2013 as the velocity and effectiveness of his fastball continued to decline. Saunders was somewhat better in 2013 than his 5.26 ERA with the Mariners suggested, and he might turn out to be a modest bargain for the Rangers, particularly given the minimal amount of risk they assumed. But he's still an average starting pitcher at best. Holland and Matt Harrison (who is also working his way back from injury) can't return quickly enough.
2013 closer Joe Nathan headed to the Tigers after declining his 2014 option. The Rangers should still have a decent bullpen, however. Soria will take Nathan's place after a strong spring; he was once one of baseball's best closers, and he'll only be 30 in May, so it's not unreasonable to hope he might be able to return to his prior heights. With Ogando, Neal Cotts and Jason Frasor, Soria will be reasonably well supported. Neftali Feliz and Michael Kirkman, along with a number of the Rangers' lower-profile offseason acquisitions (Shawn Tolleson, Rafael Perez, Pedro Figueroa, Ryan Feierabend, and others) will compete for the last few jobs in the bullpen.
With Profar now out, the Rangers have a hole at second base. Top prospect Rougned Odor might be a possibility, but he has little experience in the high minors. If not Odor, the Rangers could turn to Adam Rosales, Kensuke Tanaka or Josh Wilson. None of those solutions are ideal. That leaves the Rangers with potential question marks not only at DH, but at second base as well — not that Profar would have been a sure thing, of course. Catcher could also be an issue, with Soto recently having a precautionary MRI on his knee. (The injury bug has bitten the Rangers badly.) Also, with lefties Choo and Fielder anchoring the lineup, the Rangers are thin against left-handed pitching, particularly if Choice doesn't make the 25-man roster.
Shin-Soo Choo's massive deal falls into the same category as the Fielder trade — it fits the Rangers' needs to a tee right now, but could become a problem in a relatively short time. The Rangers needed a right fielder given the imminent departure of Nelson Cruz, and it's hard to argue with Choo's spectacular .423 on-base percentage last season. It also makes sense for him to be back in right field, since he was a defensive liability in center for the Reds last season.
In the long term, though, seven years and $130MM is a huge commitment for a 31-year-old corner outfielder who doesn't have elite power and who already arguably should be platooned — Choo hit just .215/.347/.265 against lefties in 2013, with the walk as his only real weapon against them. Given that Choo isn't an outstanding defensive player either, it's easy to imagine that he'll be a tweener type three or four years from now, putting up strong OBPs against righties, but platooning and frustrating the Rangers with his defense as he starts to lose speed. Projection systems are much more optimistic about Choo than they are about Fielder. But Choo comes with warning signs, and seven years is a long time.
Guess what? Any 7+ year deal to a 30 year old is going to be a problem for the team at the backend…tell me an exception to this. Hamilton? Pujols? Cano? A-Rod? I think the Rangers will be fine and if they are dragging the last couple of years of these contracts, then the rebuilding begins.
No kidding. This review mentions Choo and Fielder multiple times, bordering redundant.
2017? No, I want a WS trophy for Texas right now.
The injuries have just been devastating this spring, it seems like every player but Prince has been banged up. I have no idea what they’re doing about 2B but I doubt they use Odor, not enough experience but I’d love to see him personally.
The pitching shakeups have been really interesting, I’ve always been a fan of Ogando in the pen and I really thought Nefti would take the closer but he’s still trying to get right. It’s going to be weird seeing Scheppers and probably Ross in the rotation after they dominated in the bullpen last year.
Michael Choice has just been tearing it up this spring, it would be shocking if he didn’t making the roster but I wish he had an every day role. Looks like 4th OF and DH right now. He’s been a steal so far. Also interested to see what will happen with E. Beltre since he’s out of options.
Maybe they can trade for Brandon Phillips.
“[Arencibia] is developing a great reputation as a pitch-framer, however”
That may be, but he’s also not very strong at throwing out potential base stealers (5th of 7 catchers, qualified, in 2013).
Just barely below league average, that’s OK as a back up.
Two months ago, I was comfortable penciling in the Tigers to win the West. … Now, I’m not even sure they’d be a preseason wild-card pick. They are definitely limping right now. I think they’re going to need big-time pitching acquisition along the lines of Cliff Lee (again) to have a shot at making an October run.
This the Rangers not the Tigers were talking about!!!
This article focuses way too much on the 2017 Rangers. I like the Fielder trade. They upgraded Ian Kinsler’s bad deal for 76 million. That’s not chump change, but Fielder will help them now much more than Kinsler will, especially with Profar (though now he’s injured).
The Rangers will need pitching help to make it back to the World Series which will likely further deplete their farm, but this also a team that has the necessary resources to work around the Choo and Fielder contracts when their prime years are up. The worry about Fielder’s decline is a little overblown. He’s really not that old. Poor article.
Agreed, I thought the article was very short sighted. We have multiple options in the minors who could possibly offset the contracts of both Fielder and Choo as they decline past their respective prime years. For instance, Choice is a steal and assuming he can develop his plate discipline, he should end up a bargain for a fourth outfielder Gentry. Also I would be very afraid of pitching to Prince Fielder in the Rangers’ ballpark.
The biggest question is still the rotation. You can deal with the loss of Profar for 10 weeks. Baseball is about pitching and defense. Also there is no point in going after a trade for a notable second baseman as a replacement (aka trading for Phillips is a terrible idea). That would only create another crowded situation when Profar comes back. Fill the position with Josh Wilson (who is sick on defense btw) and move on.