It’s been a busy offseason for the Rangers in terms of pitching acquisitions, with Jacob deGrom, Nathan Eovaldi and Andrew Heaney joining the rotation alongside holdovers Jon Gray and Martin Perez (who accepted the team’s one-year, qualifying offer at the outset of free agency). Texas has also acquired veteran Jake Odorizzi in a deal with the Braves and brought in a slew of veteran players — pitchers and hitters alike — on non-roster deals with invites to spring training.
One glaring hole from the 2022 club that’s yet to be addressed, however, is the outfield. Adolis Garcia has one spot locked down (likely right field), and Texas seems content to turn center field over to fleet-footed, slick-fielding Leody Taveras. Left field remains a question mark, however, and although the team has been connected to names like Bryan Reynolds and old friend Jurickson Profar even since the calendar flipped from 2022 to 2023, the Rangers haven’t brought an outfielder into the mix on a guaranteed deal.
General manager Chris Young didn’t exactly strike an aggressive tone in discussing the void, but he did tell Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News that his front office will “continue to monitor leading up to spring training and through spring training” to “see what the options are both internally and externally.”
It’s a fairly generic statement, admittedly, but Young’s comments come on the heels of several other front office leaders around the league all but proclaiming that their teams are done making additions to the roster (e.g. Giants, Mariners, Reds). Given that context, it’s at least somewhat notable that Young is still speaking about the possibility of bringing in talent from outside the organization.
Of course, the free-agent market for outfielders has largely been picked over, and the asking price for the aforementioned Reynolds — which Texas and other clubs have clearly deemed too high — isn’t likely to come down anytime soon. That said, Profar is still looking for an employer for the 2023 season, and the market has a handful of solid platoon bats who could be paired with what’s currently a hodgepodge of unproven youngsters and veteran rebound hopefuls. David Peralta, Robbie Grossman and Tyler Naquin are among the yet-unsigned possibilities.
As it stands, the Rangers have Josh Smith, Bubba Thompson, Mark Mathias, Brad Miller and Ezequiel Duran on the 40-man roster. Thompson is the only pure outfielder by trade — the others are infielders with some outfield experience — but he also needed a .389 BABIP to offset his 30.9% strikeout rate and get to a .265/.302/.312 slash in last year’s MLB debut. That clocked in 23% below-average, by measure of wRC+. As for the team’s non-roster invitees, they’ll give looks to Travis Jankowski, Clint Frazier, Joe McCarthy and Elier Hernandez.
The Rangers are already in line to shatter their previous franchise-record payroll, soaring past that old $165MM mark with what Roster Resource projects as a $196MM Opening Day outlay. Any addition at this point isn’t likely to be all that expensive, barring an unlikely scenario where the Rangers take on a contract of some note in a trade. It’s fair to wonder just how high ownership is willing to push payroll, but after spending nearly $825MM in free agency over the past two offseasons alone, it’s likely that they’d provide Young with the green light to make another modestly price addition (e.g. Profar, Peralta) if the front office determines that to be a prudent course of action.
Rangers left fielders ranked dead-last in the Majors last season in batting average, on-base percentage and slugging percentage, combining to post an almost unfathomably feeble .186/.253/.255 batting line. That translated to a 47 wRC+, or roughly 53% worse than league-average production after weighting for home park and the league run-scoring environment. Rangers left fielders also struck out at a 29.6% clip (28th in MLB), hit 11 home runs (27th), and managed only five doubles (last in the Majors) and no triples.
The Rangers missed the boat while this market was still fully stocked. However, a cheap flyer on David Peralta or Robbie Grossman may not be bad for a year. I don’t see Profar going back but then there doesn’t seem like much interest is out there so they may be able to get him at a very discounted price
I’d look more toward Peralta. I think Grossman is cooked.
I like Peralta, but he hits from the left side. We need a RH platoon bat.
How long before someone scrapes beneath the poop in the gutter and resurrects Trevor Bauer?
Any team without morals or self pride will be there soon.
Usually, you don’t compare people you don’t like to God (“resurrects”). You are giving mixes messages here.
They have always been the best match w the pirates. Pirates are waiting for mlb to update their top 30 prospects first so they know who to target. Haha
They came out with top prospects at each position and then top 100 on consecutive days, but I’m still waiting for their top 30 list. Does anyone know when this comes out? I love that they have 6 top 100 guys and all were drafted by Texas. That’s a hug shift from trading for prospects and developing them.
Try prospect 1500. Something like that. It gives a top 50 for each team and it’s complete
5 doubles??? That’s quite awful. I hate their all or nothing approach sometimes with left field. They tend to go all out (Greinke/Hamilton, Rendon, Ohtani, Arenado, Suzuki, Kershaw, Soto, etc.) and have few backups. I’m obviously thrilled with this offseason, but they got 2 shortstops last year and are only focusing on starting pitching and not at all on BP help or the outfield. I only see 1 real outfielder in Adolis Garcia and maybe Tavares and Thompson can make up another spot. Why not shop for prospect outfielders or rentals? Texas isn’t banned from trading for a hitter, as far as I know.
They helped the BP, by revamping the rotation!!
I heard Khalil Lee is available. 😉
Man, Benintendi was the guy.
1. Benintendi
2. Semien
3. Seager
4. Adolis
5. Lowe
Would’ve been an excellent top of the order.
Profar come on down!
Boras client, no thanks. Some chump team will give him a 3-year deal or whatever Boras is asking for eventually, though.
Jackson Frazier would like a word with the editor. (Also, didn’t realize the Rangers picked him up.)
I suspect we are with a week of these OFers, meaning Profar, Peralta, etc., getting signed. Teams have locked 40-man rosters at the moment, so they need to get to the point in Spring Training when they can shift players to the 60-man IL. I’m not sure exactly when that will happen as I don’t believe it’s the first day camps open, but probably within a week. We’ll probably see signings a couple to three days in advance of the re-implementation of the 60-day IL as teams can drag their feet a couple days to complete physicals.
You beat me to the 40 man argument. If the rangers wait a little while to sign someone, they can move Brett Martin to the 60 and not lose anyone off the 40
However, I’m ok with them waiting. I really like some of the outfielders that are a year away. Evan carter will be in aa this year. Aaron Zavala looks like he can hit. Dustin Harris can play a corner spot. One of those guys should pan out
In addition, I’d like to see what they have in mark mathias. He hit well in his extremely short sample size last year. Also, joe McCarthy was their best spring training hitter last year before he signed to play overseas. He was their last cut and I’m curious to see what he does in spring training this year. Both those players, along with duran if he’s not traded, should be enough before they can see what they have in their three minor leaguers next year imo
At this point, it seems pretty obvious that Texas does not like any of the remaining free agent outfielders enough to sign them at their current asking rates. They may end up waiting to see which outfielders get DFA’d by their team in spring training and fill their outfield void(s) with those types of players. I guess they could still sign one of the free agents but they will only do so at their terms. If they are deemed too expensive, Young will steer clear of them as he has done up to this point.
Agreed!!
If Profar has to sign a contract that will pay him less than the one that he opted out of, Boras takes the L.
Boras also takes an L if Profar has to take a prorated contract after missing the beginning of the season if can’t find a deal to his liking before then.
He opted out of $7.5M and got a $1M buyout instead so he really just needs to get at least 1 year $6.5M to come out on top.
I think the holdup is likely that they wanted more money over multiple years, but like worse comes to worst I think someone is going to give him a 1 year deal over that amount.
CN that may happen. I think he is looking to start, but having a hard time finding any teams that don’t want him to be a utility player.
Trade for Baltimore’s Santander.
I agree this is the best option, with Happ and Oniell next in line for consideration.
O’Neill is unlikely to be traded this year. Maybe next offseason, depending on the development of Jordan Walker, as well as the performances/health of Carlson and Noot.
Happ is probably the best fit for Texas in terms of a trade. O’Neill gets hurt a lot and is very similar to what they already have in Adolis.
Santander and Happ would cost to much in prospect depth, I wouldn’t even consider O’niell. Trade wise I would consider Lourdes Gurriel IMO lower price prospect wise and a better overall hitter than the others.
Not gonna get Gurriel until midseason at the earliest. If AZ is good/competitive this year, they’ll have to wait until the offseason when he’s an FA. Same with Happ.
I do not think Santander is as expensive as he might seem. But, probably better to wait for one of the other guys in free agency and keep the prospects.
But, having several top middle infield prospects doesn’t help the outfield. There has to be a balance of spending and trading, and Texas has way too much prospect surplus to be signing more guys for a team that just added 37 MM, 20 MM from 4, 12.5 MM, and 17 MM for their rotation. Acuna is a top 100 prospect with absolutely no future in Texas. They should get rid of him and sell off White/Duran/Smith/Ornelas while their values are still high. Only Texiera, Kinsler, CJ Wilson, and Gallo (compensation for losing CJ Wilson coincidentally) have been good in the 21st century in spite of being drafted by Texas. They can’t develop anyways, so why not trade at least the surplus guys before they end up with 200 strikeouts, 15 walks, and a .500 OPS season in the minors?
Don’t mind doing a trade, just not giving the farm away to do it. Foscue, Acuna, Winn, Zavala are tradable, but I’m not giving them all away in the same trade.
“Santander and Happ would cost to much in prospect depth”
?
davidrocholl;
Santander led the O’s in RBI last year.
Orioles POBO Mike Elias said he likes him. When asked about trading Santander this off-season Elias responded, “Why would I
do that?”
P.S. Orioles are overloaded with quality prospects. They can’t get playing time for all of them.
lol
@davidrocholl
I’m inclined to agree with Wagner>Cobb on Gurriel Jr.; there were reasons he was requested by name in the Varsho deal.
My best assumptions are:
a.) they like the odds of his power returning being further away from the hand injury
b.) they believe he can maintain the reduction in K%
c.) they believe that Dave McKay can help him tighten up his baserunning
d.) they believe that Dave McKay can help him tighten up his LF defense
e.) they believe Carroll/McCarthy can limit the range he needs to cover in LF
f.) they believe that he’ll be a valuable contributor at DH (where really only Marte/Walker were competent last season)
g.) they believe that his high rate of balls in play will complement all of the speed in the lineup well
h.) they believe Chase Field will complement his high rate of balls in play
i.) they believe that he would be great for all of the young, high-contact hitters to work with
j.) possibly some combination of all of those things
If even half of those things wind up being true, he’s much closer to being worthy of a QO than being a cheap acquire.
Leading a team in RBIs means you are either a middle of the lineup bat or your team’s offense isn’t good. It’s mostly about luck. Look up Nomar Mazara to see how RBIs’s don’t measure skill.
@higheat:
I think this year is when you see how the outfield shakes out between Carroll, McCarthy, Thomas, and Gurriel. There’s a decent chance that Thomas doesn’t hit and becomes a 4th OF. There’s an equally decent chance that Gurriel hits well and they find a way to keep him. Bumgarner’s salary drops by about 10 million in 2024 and he’s gone after that, so there’s money available soon. Plus, they probably aren’t going to sign any pitchers with all the excellent prospects on the way/arrived late last year.
Mazara as a lone example doesn’t negate the countless examples of elite HOF hitters over the last century-plus who also posted big RBI totals. There is a real correlation there. RBI’s combined with BA with RISP and SLG with RISP is the way to go.
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I think Bubba Thompson should keep getting work, even if it’s as the 4th OFer. Dude has 67 SBs between AAA and MLB last year. Bat played well enough in the minors and he’s only 24. Seems like they have enough help added elsewhere to permit giving him a platoon share at the very least.
Agreed!!
Thompson had a .302 obp with a 31% k rate in 55 games. That is beyond terrible.
For a 24 year old in his first action? He’s got a better k-rate than Adolis Garcia, who is probably one of the top 75 players in the league
For a 24 year old that’s never had a swinging strike rate lower than 14.6% in A ball, and regularly has run rates higher than 16% with little in-game power production or plate discipline to speak of that’s pretty bad regardless of it being his first action.
Minor league numbers don’t always translate to the majors. He was terrible in 55 games. It be would be one of the biggest bounce backs in mlb of the last decade if he were to turn that around. To rely on that when you are on the cusp of competing is foolish. Pirates want to much for Reynolds but someone like Kepler should be possible.
Btw last time Bubba had a k% lower than 25% was in rookie ball. To expect that to remain the same in the majors is ridiculous.
Judge had a 30%+ K-rate in his first two years in the league (and was older than Thompson too). All I’m saying is it’s pretty dang dumb to give up on a 24 year old who has shown some promise. My original comment was at least give him a platoon shot as a 4th OFer. If you want to write off that kind of player after like 100 ABs, then there’s a shining example of why fans shouldn’t be in charge of running teams.
I’m not giving up on him but to count on him to be the starter when they are poised to compete is foolish. Stop comparing people to Aaron judge. That is one of the dumbest comparisons I’ve ever read. Aaron judge also had a .422 obp in his first full year. To compare someone to judge, who doesn’t even share the same profile, is ridiculous. Bubba is much more comparable to someone like Billy Hamilton with less defense and a higher k rate The k rate is fine when it’s combined with an ability to get on base. 30% k rate with a .302 obp is not ok.
If you’re gonna cry via three or four comments bout k-rate and then immediately say it’s not a fair comparison the moment someone else uses it, you’re arguing in poor faith. Enjoy the block
I was complaining about the k rate because he doesn’t get on base. If you have a high k rate but you still get on base whether it’s through contact or a high walk rate it balances out the high k rate. Bubba never had a walk rate in the minors. If he never had one in the minors then there is even less expectation for him to have one in the majors.
I don’t understand how you can state he’s arguing in poor faith when you’re referencing K numbers with little added context; Ryan is correct to state Ks are tolerable if there is OBP or SLG accompanying, but they’re a bad omen in the absence of those two things (which is the case for Bubba). He’s also correct to state that Thompson is not Judge nor does he have the carrying skills.
That’s just all common knowledge at this point; you’re the one arguing in poor faith if you refuse to acknowledge all of that in reference to a player that only ever approached offensive production with HIGHLY inflated BABIPs. That’s not a player a contending team relies on.
K
If Evan Carter impresses in ST, the way I think he will, why not just give him the job. I can ROY possibility!!
Evan Carter only played 6 games at AA last year and he just turned 20 years old. Even if he has a great spring training showing, I’m not sure Texas will be willing to add him to the MLB roster at this point in his career. He’ll most likely have to wait until late 2024 or even 2025 before he gets a real shot to play in the majors.
Your right, but I would still like to see them give it a whirl, all the OF prospects we have, that are AA or higher are well below him.
He will probably start the season in AAA, if he does what I think he can do, but could definitely force the teams hand by the end of May!! Plus the extra implications if he does do it
There’s good reason to think Bubba Thompson can be the guy. He put up nice minor league numbers in the past two seasons. And even if he just becomes an average hitter, he has extraordinary speed.
I think bringing Profar back could be a great, stabilizing move to the offensive side of this club
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I know they say draft the best player, but the Rangers are awful in the outfield. Sure, they have Carter and Zavala, but say 1 of those pans out or maybe 1 gets traded – they should really draft Langford, Crews, Max Clark, Chase Dollander, or Walter Jenkins in that particular order. Maybe Clark and Crews can be interchangeable if they can save a lot of money on Clark. Clark seems to have the best individual tools, much like Rocker, but a lower overall grade, possibly due to risk. Otherwise, I suspect they will try for a reckless Hail Mary like they did last time with blowing the 3rd overall pick on Rocker when they had Green to attempt to get Porter. That maybe had a 10-15 percent chance of working at best, but they really need to get their act together this time. It’s like investing in Gamestop – sure, it may really pay off, but most of the time, it will screw you over, and that can’t be a main strategy. I really really really want one of those top 4 guys on the Rangers. I just get this feeling that Texas may go crazy again and try to make up for blowing that 3rd round pick on Eovaldi when they could have signed so many other without draft picks attached. Here are the top draft prospects, according to MLB.com: https://www.mlb.com/prospects/draft/. The worst thing ever would be to draft another shortstop, given there aren’t any talented ones at the top who stand out (to me).
Bubba Thompson 80 steal season .