Texas Rangers president of baseball operations Chris Young rattled off plenty of internal options when it came to replacing Marcus Semien at second base.
Josh Smith. Ezequiel Duran. Cody Freeman. Even Michael Helman. It’s likely one of them will get the job coming out of spring training. But, Young also admitted that the franchise could explore external options, too.
The Rangers acquired Brandon Nimmo in the Semien deal to help them with getting on base and to provide consistent power in the outfield in the wake of non-tendering Adolis Garcia. But who will replace Semien’s glove at second base and provide a similar hitting profile to Nimmo? Here are three potential options.
Ketel Marte
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The Diamondbacks are reportedly fielding calls from teams about their All-Star second baseman. That means other teams are taking Arizona’s temperature, as in what will it take? Well, it’s going to take quite a bit. He just signed a six-year, $105 million deal in 2025 and is under contract until 2030, along with a player option in 2031. The average annual value of the deal is approximately what the Rangers saved to non-tender Garcia and Jonah Heim.
The long-time D-back slashed .283/.376/.517 with 28 home runs and 72 RBI in a second straight All-Star season. One thing to keep in mind is that Marte is entering his age 32 season. He’s couple of years younger than Semien, but he’ll be 38 when the deal ends.
The Rangers traded three Top 15 pitching prospects to the Diamondbacks in July for pitcher Merrill Kelly. It’s going to take more than that to get Marte.
Luis Arráez
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How does he solve the Rangers’ second base problem? Yes, he played quite a bit of first base with the San Diego Padres the past two years. But he’s logged more games at second base (359) than at first base (263) for his career. As he enters his age 29 season, he could be ready to move back full-time. He has a lifetime fielding percentage of .988 at second base.
If the Rangers need help with on-base percentage, he’s the guy. He’s a three-time batting champion with a lifetime slash of .317/.363/.413. Two things to consider. He has a terrific strikeout-to-walk ratio, but he doesn’t draw many walks. Also, he only has 36 career home runs. He won’t help with slug. Â
Brendan Donovan
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The St. Louis Cardinals second baseman is drawing heat from several teams in trade, and with Semien gone the Rangers could consider going after him. Donovan still has two more years of team control, which is beneficial. He can also play at third base and left field.
Last season he slashed .287/.353/.422 with 10 home runs and 50 RBI in 118 games. At second base he has a lifetime fielding percentage of .991. He’s also a left-handed bat, like Nimmo, which would play well at Globe Life Field. Unlike Marte, Donovan is likely to cost much less in trade.
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