Texas Rangers: Silent on Contract Extensions for Lucroy, Darvish
By Tim Boyle
Jonathan Lucroy and Yu Darvish are in the final year of their contracts yet the Texas Rangers have been silent about extensions for either.
Among the important tasks the Texas Rangers should think about this offseason, talking with catcher Jonathan Lucroy and starting pitcher Yu Darvish about contract extensions is near the top. Each is a free agent following the 2017 season. Both could also be valuable pieces for this franchise moving forward as well.
Unfortunately, the Rangers have been silent with these two in regards to a contract extension. Two of their better pieces’ futures remain in limbo as Texas contemplates what to do.
Lucroy, as you may recall, came to the Rangers in a trade with the Milwaukee Brewers last summer. The Rangers unloaded a huge haul of minor league talent to get him including Lewis Brinson. Understandably so, Lucroy is one of the best catchers in baseball.
Along with all of the talent, the Rangers also secured a year and a half of Lucroy. They got him for much cheaper than he’s worth, too, as Lucroy is set to make just $5.25 million in 2017. Anyone familiar with Lucroy knows this is a vast underpayment.
At more than twice the cost of Lucroy, Darvish will make $11 million in 2017. For a guy of his abilities, this remains a bargain. He is a perennial Cy Young Award candidate each year he stays healthy. He strikes out batters at will and is a guy the Rangers should highly consider keeping around for years to come. Finding a pitcher like him is not easy and the Rangers need to realize this.
Darvish’s full MLB career has been as a member of the Rangers. Since joining them in 2012, he has been an All-Star three times. If not for missing all of 2015 and returning mid-year in 2016, Darvish surely would have two more trips to the Midsummer Classic. He may also even have a Cy Young Award.
An extension for either of these two is absolutely reasonable. Unfortunately, the possibility may not.
The Rangers won’t clear any major contracts off the books after 2017. Shin-Soo Choo will stick around for a few more years as will Elvis Andrus. They also have $18 million committed to the ageless Adrian Beltre in each of the next two seasons.
On the plus side, nobody is due for a major raise. None of the arbitration eligible players should receive anything major until at least a few more seasons, if at all.
This still makes it difficult for the Rangers to extend Lucroy and Darvish. Each should command a minimum of $15 million per year on average, but probably more. Likely, Lucroy will surpass the $20 million mark with Darvish also a consideration to earn as much depending on how the upcoming year goes.
More unfortunate news for the Rangers, if they fail to sign either, several reinforcements from the minor leagues have been traded over the last two seasons. In order to obtain others such as Cole Hamels and Carlos Beltran, the Rangers have sent several top prospects away. The end result was back-to-back ALDS losses to the Toronto Blue Jays.
Clearly, the Rangers are all-in at the moment. A contract extension for Lucroy and/or Darvish is a key to maintaining this shot a championship.
Next: How can Red Sox overcome Ortiz void?
There always is the possibility that the Rangers plan to extend them sometime in mid-2017. Darvish is coming off of Tommy John Surgery and has only made a handful of starts since. Lucroy, a catcher, also faces imminent injury each time he suits up behind the plate. Playing it safe may not be the best strategy. Lucroy or Darvish could quickly realize their market value is far greater than what the Rangers are willing to offer and end talks before they begin.