Mike Gonzalez Rumors: Rangers, Gonzalez Have Mutual Interest
By Editorial Staff
Texas Rangers assistant general manager Thad Levine spoke with Jim Bowden and MLB Network Radio yesterday. Roy Oswalt was discussed, but the veteran right-hander was not the only free agent to have his name brought up. Levine told Bowden that the Rangers and free agent reliever Mike Gonzalez maintain mutual interest.
Gonzalez has had a rocky couple of years, but he’s currently considered the best reliever remaining on the free agent market.
After starting the 2011 season with the Baltimore Orioles, Gonzalez was dealt to the Rangers last summer. Both he and the Rangers seem to be interested in a return, but they may first have to wait for a resolution in the Koji Uehara situation.
Uehara, a teammate of Gonzalez in Baltimore and Texas, has been shopped extensively by the Rangers this offseason. The Japanese native has blocked one potential trade that would have sent him to the Toronto Blue Jays, and the Rangers haven’t been able to pull the trigger on another deal. Texas was rumored to be holding negotiations with the Oakland A’s, but nothing has been reported on that front for some time.
Until the Rangers deal Uehara, it is not believed that they have the budget space required to sign Gonzalez or other free agents. For this reason it appears that Gonzalez once again finds himself linked to Uehara.
For more on the Rangers, be sure to check out Nolan Writin’.
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