Texas Rangers: Three offseason free agent targets
By Nick Stevens
If Chris Archer hits free agency, the Texas Rangers should be interested.
Starting pitchers for the Texas Rangers finished 2020 ranked 11th in the American League in ERA at 5.32 and outside of Lynn and his 6-3 with a 3.32 ERA and 1.5 fWAR season, the rotation struggled to produce quality outings.
The signing of Jordan Lyles went about as well as expected, going 1-6 with a 7.63 ERA in nine starts for the Rangers this year and Corey Kluber pitched just one inning in a Rangers uniform before going down to injury. Kluber’s $18 million option won’t be picked up by Texas, but he could still return on a new deal next year.
One name that could be of great interest to Texas is RHP Chris Archer. The Pirates aren’t expected to pick up Archer’s $11 million option after he missed all of 2020 recovering from Thoracic Outlet surgery, giving teams like Texas an opportunity to sign him to a low-cost, incentive-laden deal this offseason.
Texas has pursued Archer before and this may be their best opportunity. A high strikeout pitcher who many loved as a bounceback candidate heading into 2020, if Archer can rebound, the Rangers can move him for additional help at next year’s deadline or they have themselves a rotation piece for when the organization is hoping to compete within the next few years.
The idea of signing Archer does feel similar to bringing in guys like Matt Moore and Tyson Ross as Texas has done in previous years, but Archer’s previous success in the always daunting AL East is impressive. Compared to many of the names out on the market, betting on Archer may be one of the better bets this offseason.