Texas Rangers: What’s on their post-lockout to-do list
The Texas Rangers struggled mightily in 2021, ultimately limping to the finish line with a 60-102 record, finishing last in the AL West by a wide-margin, 35 games behind the Houston Astros.
A significant portion of the players they entered last season with are now gone, including Joey Gallo, Kyle Gibson, Ian Kennedy, Jordan Lyles, Charlie Culberson, and Brock Holt. The Rangers had no choice but to tear it down at the trade deadline, shipping Gallo, Gibson, and Kennedy off to the New York Yankees and Philadelphia Phillies, respectively.
Now, there are still bright spots left on this Texas Rangers club heading into 2022. Feeling as if they are in a position to be able to go for it, general manager Chris Young and company made massive splashes in free agency in the early parts of this offseason; signing their middle infield of the next handful of years in Marcus Semien and Corey Seager, as well as Jon Gray on the pitching side of things and Kole Calhoun in the outfield.
Semien, Seager, and Gray, signed for seven, 10, and four years, respectively, are undoubtedly going to be the faces of this Texas Rangers ballclub going forward and the hope is that they will join exciting young position players Nate Lowe, Adolis Garcia, and Sam Huff, as well as starter Dane Dunning and breakout reliever Joe Barlow in the heat of a postseason run in the near future.
The Texas Rangers have spent a significant amount of money early on in the offseason to shore up their roster, but there is most definitely still work to do.
Let’s take a look at what should be on the to-do list for the Texas Rangers once the Major League Baseball lockout is lifted.
The Texas Rangers could use an upgrade behind the plate
FanGraphs’ Roster Resource projection has the Rangers entering 2022 with Jonah Heim and Jose Trevino as the starting and backup catcher with Sam Huff also on the 40-man roster, not to mention Yohel Pozo and Meibrys Viloria available as depth at the club’s Triple-A affiliate.
While this is certainly not the worst bunch of catchers in the league, there is room for improvement. For starters, Heim and Trevino are both poor offensive contributors and both ranked low on the CS% (Caught Stealing Percentage) leaderboards amongst qualified catchers in 2021. Huff is still considered a prospect worth being excited about, but he seems to fit best as a first baseman going forward. Pozo and Viloria are pure depth pieces that should only see big league time if multiple injuries arise.
As far as which catchers are available, it has been well documented that the free agent catching market is very thin as the best available free agent catchers are Kurt Suzuki, Austin Romine, and Robinson Chirinos. The trade market doesn’t look a whole lot better but there are some interesting fits on paper, including Mitch Garver of the Twins and Carson Kelly of the Diamondbacks.
Garver, now 31, has only appeared in over 100 games once since his debut in 2017. Through the parts of five seasons he’s had in the big leagues, injuries have been an issue for him as he has missed significant time in each of the last three seasons. When Garver is on, he is to be viewed as a legitimate offensive threat, as shown in 2019 when he popped off and hit 31 home runs to go along with a .365 OBP, a .630 SLG%, a .995 OPS, and a 157 OPS+, an excellent season for Garver all around. His performance has dipped a little bit as he has battled through the previously mentioned injuries, but his .320 BABIP in 2021 as well as his 2.2 oWAR suggest that there may be more success left in the tank if you’re able to look past the surface numbers on his stat line.
Kelly, 27, has parts of six MLB seasons under his belt and has gotten better and better as time has gone by. In 2021, Kelly put up 1.8 oWAR and a career-high 0.9 dWAR. While neither of those numbers make him an elite-level talent, his .270 BABIP, 103 wRC+ and .328 wOBA suggest that he, like Garver, has better numbers once you move past the surface-level stats. Kelly is more of a complete player than Jonah Heim or Jose Trevino. He has double-digit home run power, draws his fair share of walks, and is around league-average on defense. He seems to be the best fit should the Rangers be able to find a way to trade for him.
The Texas Rangers should look to add more starting pitching
The Texas Rangers could keep the pedal to the metal and acquire Sonny Gray. Should they? Absolutely.
Gray, 32, has spent the past three seasons as a member of the Cincinnati Reds rotation. The Reds acquired him from the Yankees after an uncharacteristically rough stretch for the righty. Gray immediately made his second career All-Star appearance in 2019 as a member of the Reds, finishing seventh in the NL Cy Young voting. Gray has the stuff to be a middle-of-the-rotation pitcher or even a staff ace and has relatively quietly put up solid numbers in Cincy since he joined the club.
The Reds dangled Sonny Gray on the trade market in the 2020-21 offseason and, to a lesser degree, at the 2021 trade deadline. Needless to say, a deal did not come to fruition. After his 3.3 WAR performance this past year, it is very possible, maybe even likely, that they will do the same this offseason and look to pull the trigger for real this time.
In 2022, Gray is set to earn $10.4 million and has a $12 million club option for 2023, a deal that would be a no-brainer for a club if he performs as well as he has in recent years.
As things currently stand, the Rangers have Dane Dunning, Taylor Hearn, A.J. Alexy, and Spencer Howard penciled into the rotation behind newly-acquired ace Jon Gray. Dunning and Hearn both pitched over 100 innings for the club last year with respectable results and should have their spots secured heading into 2022. Alexy and Howard, however, are still both inexperienced and young. Most enticing about the two of them, though, is the fact that they also have two minor-league options remaining (as do Dunning and Hearn, but neither will be sent down unless there’s a major meltdown on the mound), so they can be freely sent down to the club’s Triple-A affiliate if necessary.
Sonny Gray would fit in nicely behind his fellow Gray, Jon. The Rangers should keep their strong offseason going and look to swing a deal for the two-time All Star.
The Texas Rangers should sign hometown hero Clayton Kershaw
MLB Trade Rumors has Kershaw ranked as the number 33 free agent heading into the 2021-22 offseason. While they bring up a great point in questioning Kershaw’s injuries this past season (missing more than two months due to a forearm injury and then re-aggravating it in his final start of the regular season), I believe a multi-year contract is certainly in the cards for the legendary lefty.
Throughout the entirety of the offseason so far, Clayton Kershaw has been favored by all to re-sign with the Dodgers. After all, he is a sure-fire Hall of Famer and will absolutely wear a Dodgers cap when inducted and had one of the most dominant 14-year stretches in MLB history with the club.
Meanwhile, the Rangers have been quietly lurking in the background since the start. Kershaw, 34 in March, is from Dallas and could look to spend the final years of his career in a Rangers uniform. When you think about it, it’s really not as crazy of an idea as it may initially sound.
Kershaw is coming up on 34, but has not shown any signs of regression that are worth being concerned about. Last season saw the lefty put up his highest ERA since his rookie season in 2008 but, even then, that number is just 3.55, an ERA that many pitchers in today’s game would happily take. Kershaw put up a 10.7 SO/9, his highest since 2016 and walked just 21 batters in 121 innings, on par with previous career totals. His 2.4 WAR, 3.00 FIP, and 1.019 WHIP continued to be numbers that are above-average as well.
Once the lockout is lifted, free agents will have the opportunity to throw for teams and Kershaw’s showing is sure to be one of the more intriguing showcases in the league. After his injuries last season, interested clubs are surely going to keep a close eye on how his arm responds to any sort of throwing at full speed.
The Texas Rangers and Clayton Kershaw are a match made in heaven. The Dallas native lives in the area over the offseason and would shake up the baseball world if he chose a destination other than the Dodgers. If the Rangers truly intend to go for it, bringing this Hall of Famer aboard would be a great move to make. Bring the man home!
The Texas Rangers should look to sign outfielder Seiya Suzuki
The Texas Rangers are not made of money. The odds of them acquiring Carson Kelly and Sonny Gray, signing Clayton Kershaw, and signing Seiya Suzuki are slim.
But if there is a hole in the club’s offense aside from the catcher position, the outfield could use a bit of an upgrade. Nick Solak, Adolis Garcia, and Kole Calhoun are currently projected to be the club’s Opening Day outfield from left to right. While it’s not the worst outfield in MLB, Seiya Suzuki would make the outfield alignment look a whole lot sexier.
The 27-year old outfielder is looking to make the transition from the Japanese Hiroshima Carp to Major League Baseball. He has been cited as “the best player in Japan” per MLB Trade Rumors and has drawn widespread interest across the board since he expressed his desire to come overseas.
Over the course of his nine-year career in Japan, Suzuki has appeared defensively at all three outfield spots, but is projected to be more of a corner outfield option than a center fielder, despite the fact that he has notable experience in center. A four-time Gold Glove winner in right, Suzuki would be a nice fit in one of the corners for Texas should they look to sign him.
On offense, Seiya Suzuki has been dominant. The right-handed slugger has hit no less than 25 home runs in a year in each season between 2016 and 2021, while maintaining a batting average above .300 in each year as well. Last season was one of Suzuki’s best years in Japan, as he hit 38 home runs in 134 games, driving in 88 and hitting .317. Striking out 89 times while walking 88 times, Suzuki has shown an excellent eye at the plate and a knack for hitting for power and possessing speed on the base-paths. Usually a perennial stolen base threat, he stole just nine bases in 2021 after putting up 25 just two seasons ago.
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Seiya Suzuki has been one of the most hyped-up free agents in the 2021-22 offseason, and rightfully so. The list of interested clubs is extensive and he should land a pretty nice payday in the coming season, maybe even with the Texas Rangers.