The Texas Rangers have been at the center of the offseason in late November. They were busy this past week, cutting ties with several fan favorites. Last Friday, the Rangers non-tendered right fielder Adolis Garcia, catcher Jonah Heim, and relief pitchers Josh Sborz and Jacob Webb.
The big splash came a few days later when Texas traded second baseman Marcus Semien to the New York Mets in exchange for outfielder Brandon Nimmo. All of these moves reflect their position to shed payroll and move forward in a new direction. The 2023 World Series title is in the past, and many of the major contributors during that run weren’t producing.
The Rangers have a lot of positions to address, so let’s take a look at what president of baseball operations Chris Young will have to do to get this team back in playoff contention.
Backup Catcher
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Texas is razor-thin at the catcher position. Kyle Higashioka is the lead man and will likely be the Opening Day catcher. He turned in a solid season, hitting 11 home runs with 47 RBIs. However, he only played 71 games behind the dish, so the Rangers will need to acquire some depth.
They won’t get that through their farm system. Former first-round pick Malcolm Moore has been struggling in the minor leagues and isn’t ready to make the jump to the MLB level. The free agent market is also thin, but there are a couple of options to pursue. Victor Caratini and Danny Jansen are potential options.
Second Base
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There is currently an opening at second base following the Semien trade, but unlike the catcher position, there are plenty of internal options. Josh Smith and Cody Freeman are the likely candidates to slide at second, with Ezequiel Duran being a depth piece. Smith is a tremendous defender and may benefit from having one position to focus on.
His hitting numbers took a slight dip in the second half of the season, but he still had a solid year. Freeman is only 24 years old, so platooning the two is a viable way of filling the void. The only free agent that would be a substantial upgrade is the pursuit of Luis Arraez. He would bring high contact and a low strikeout rate at the top of the order.
Bullpen
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Texas will have to completely retool its bullpen once again. Phil Maton has already departed for the Chicago Cubs, and big contributors like Hoby Milner, Danny Coulombe, and Chris Martin are all free agents. Historically speaking, the Rangers have never spent lots of money on high end relievers, but that may need to change.
Texas needs a proven closer to finish games. They were top five in blown saves and couldn’t win one-run contests. Robert Suarez and Devin Williams are some names to monitor. Some other solid relievers that could help the cause are Kyle Finnegan, Gregory Soto, and Tyler Rogers. The Rangers could also use some starting pitching help and maybe one more bat, but the other three positions remain a higher priority.
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