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Texas Rangers: Free agents who could fill the need at 3rd base

By Kristen Bentley

BALTIMORE, MD - JULY 13: Adrian Beltre #29 of the Texas Rangers plays third base against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on July 13, 2018 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by G Fiume/Getty Images)
BALTIMORE, MD - JULY 13: Adrian Beltre #29 of the Texas Rangers plays third base against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on July 13, 2018 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by G Fiume/Getty Images) /
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MILWAUKEE, WI – OCTOBER 12: Mike Moustakas #18 of the Milwaukee Brewers throws to first for the first out of the ninth inning in Game 1 of the NLCS against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Miller Park on Friday, October 12, 2018 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by Alex Trautwig/MLB Photos via Getty Images) /

The third-baseman free-agent list isn’t very long, but a Moose is at the top of it.

The 30-year-old Mike Moustakas had a WAR of 2.4 in 2018. Considering that Beltre finished the season with a WAR of 2.2, Moustakas could be a solid replacement for the legendary player.

Of course, Moustakas doesn’t have the on-field personality that Beltre has, but there aren’t many players who do.

What Moustakas does have is the ability to field and the ability to hit. Which is what the Rangers need. He also brings a left-handed bat into the mix as Kiner-Falefa and Wisdom both bat from the right.

Moustakas also brings some consistency to the game, as he played in 152 games total with the Kansas City Royals and the Milwaukee Brewers. With those two teams, he hit a combined slash of .251/.315/.459 – not quite to Beltre’s standards, but he did hit 28 home runs and 95 RBI.

Remember that Moustakas did set the home run record for the Royals when he hit 38 of them in 2017. The last time Beltre was close to that number was 2012, when he hit 36.

The Rangers are in a state of flux – in a rebuild, but not totally. The team has a new manager – Chris Woodward, but they have the same general manager, Jon Daniels. They’ve added some notable pitchers: Lance Lynn, Shelby Miller, and Jesse Chavez. But, the team has kept the position players relatively the same.

It is doubtful that the team would be interested in spending big money on a free agent like Manny Machado, so Moustakas should be an affordable addition. He only made $5 million last year and his highest contract with the Royals was $8.7 million. He would be a solid addition at an affordable price.

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