Texas Rangers 2024-2025 Offseason Thread

[saddles]

Jim Bowden has an article out with a list if his top 45 free agents. He predicts what size I f contract they will get and which teams make up the best fits. The Rangers are mentioned as good fits for the folliwing free agents.

Tomoyuki Sugano​

Shane Bieber​

Tanner Scott​

 

[saddles]

Bowden thinks Eovaldi gets a 2 year deal worth $42 million and a team option for a third year.

 

[saddles]

Baseball America list the 8 teams with the strongest returns on their latest international signings class. The Rangers were 8th.

Texas Rangers​

We could pick a bunch of different teams for this last spot, but let’s highlight the Rangers and their class, which is headlined by a pair of position players in the middle of the diamond. One is Yolfran Castillo, who spent just 20 games in the DSL and hit .414/.552/.471 before the Rangers bumped him up to the ACL. Castillo, signed for $647,500 from Venezuela, combines a patient approach with outstanding contact skills. He struck out at just an 8.2% clip in the DSL and a 9.2% clip overall this year, drawing nearly twice as many walks (27) as strikeouts (15). The red flag in his offensive game right now is that he has minimal power, but he’s also 6-foot-3, 165 pounds with a ton of space left to layer on strength. He’s a plus runner who also looks like a good bet to stick at shortstop, where he has good instincts and an above-average arm.

The top bonus Texas gave this year went to Dominican center fielder Paulino Santana, who got $1,297,500 and hit .292/.465/.364 with 52 walks and 38 strikeouts in 260 plate appearances. It’s a short righthanded swing with a patient approach, which led to a high OBP in the DSL. The raw power he has flashed in BP hasn’t translated in games, so there will likely have to be an approach or swing adjustment to be able to tap into more of that power against live pitching. He’s an athletic center fielder with plus speed.

 

[Kelleyman]

I hope we have a quick World Series so we can get on to the Hot Stove season.

View attachment 378061

Bennie tending the stove for SportsHoopla

 

[saddles]

Rangers Aiming To Drop Beneath Luxury Tax Threshold

The Rangers are aiming to duck under the luxury tax threshold in 2025. It'll be a tricky offseason for them. Read more at MLB Trade Rumors.

www.mlbtraderumors.com

 

[saddles]

Tim Hyers is leaving the Rangers for the Braves.

 

[Duane1952]

Didn’t the Rangers have an assistant hitting coach on the staff.

 

[scotsman#1948]

Rangers Aiming To Drop Beneath Luxury Tax Threshold

The Rangers are aiming to duck under the luxury tax threshold in 2025. It'll be a tricky offseason for them. Read more at MLB Trade Rumors.

www.mlbtraderumors.com

oh well disappointing but not totally unexpected. was hoping we'd get back to being competitive in 2025 but guess we're going to cut and run instead.

 

[saddles]

Didn’t the Rangers have an assistant hitting coach on the staff.

The other guy, Donnie Ecker, was actually over the hittung coach. He s the offensive coordinator.

 

[saddles]

oh well disappointing but not totally unexpected. was hoping we'd get back to being competitive in 2025 but guess we're going to cut and run instead.

Yeah, MLBtraderumors is kind of late to the party on this. Our local reporters have been telling us this for a couple of months or more. We have a good bit to spend, but we are really bare in the bullpen and maybe need help in other areas as well. It will be interesting to see what measures they take to get the job done. We may see some veterans getting traded amd replaced by younger, cheaper options so we can spend more money. If they want Eovaldi that pretty much necessitates shedding salary elsewhere, if we are to pick up a few bullpen pieces and maybe a hitter.

 

[saddles]

 

[saddles]

Osuna is only 2 for 9 so far this week, but with 4 walks.

Acosta is 2 for 4 with both hits being doubles, and with 3 walks.

 

[saddles]

From Michael Bier:

Jose Trevino is as classy as they come.

He said watching the Rangers win the World Series last year didn’t add any fuel to his fire, then went on to praise the organization for everything they’ve done to get him to this point.

 

[True Rangers Fan]

oh well disappointing but not totally unexpected. was hoping we'd get back to being competitive in 2025 but guess we're going to cut and run instead.

Getting under the luxury tax threshold is not the same as not spending. It simply means the Rangers don't have as much room to work with as other teams do. It should also be mentioned that the Rangers already have quite a few pieces already in place, they don't need a complete roster overhaul to be competitive. I've seen a Rangers fan go so far as to say they're acting like the Marlins after their WS wins. Not sure how people are forgetting what these players are capable of, but that's just me.

 

[scotsman#1948]

Getting under the luxury tax threshold is not the same as not spending. It simply means the Rangers don't have as much room to work with as other teams do. It should also be mentioned that the Rangers already have quite a few pieces already in place, they don't need a complete roster overhaul to be competitive. I've seen a Rangers fan go so far as to say they're acting like the Marlins after their WS wins. Not sure how people are forgetting what these players are capable of, but that's just me.

except for a bullpen the Rangers aren't in really bad shape they could go with the position players they have, construct a bullpen around Duran with prospects. starting rotation without Eovaldi is a little weak. with Houston & Seattle and possibly the Angels in the west, we're not going to be as competitive as i would like. and with the Yankees, Baltimore, Cleveland, Detroit, Kansas City, Minnesota and possibly Boston also in the AL i would put our odds of being competitive enough to even be in the playoffs in 2025 at about 5%

 

[Duane1952]

except for a bullpen the Rangers aren't in really bad shape they could go with the position players they have, construct a bullpen around Duran with prospects. starting rotation without Eovaldi is a little weak. with Houston & Seattle and possibly the Angels in the west, we're not going to be as competitive as i would like. and with the Yankees, Baltimore, Cleveland, Detroit, Kansas City, Minnesota and possibly Boston also in the AL i would put our odds of being competitive enough to even be in the playoffs in 2025 at about 5%

I read today that the Red Sox want Evoladi back and are going to go hard after him.

 

[Kelleyman]

except for a bullpen the Rangers aren't in really bad shape they could go with the position players they have, construct a bullpen around Duran with prospects. starting rotation without Eovaldi is a little weak. with Houston & Seattle and possibly the Angels in the west, we're not going to be as competitive as i would like. and with the Yankees, Baltimore, Cleveland, Detroit, Kansas City, Minnesota and possibly Boston also in the AL i would put our odds of being competitive enough to even be in the playoffs in 2025 at about 5%

If I could get those odds in Vegas I am betting on the Rangers

Our SP will be stronger than thought and maybe some younger guys make it tough to keep it down

We have enough money to spend on an 8th and 9th inning guy and maybe a swing guy

maybe this is the off-season we get our feet wet in thr trade market

 

[Kelleyman]

Still not a fan of the bunt in most circumstances

 

[scotsman#1948]

If I could get those odds in Vegas I am betting on the Rangers

Our SP will be stronger than thought and maybe some younger guys make it tough to keep it down

We have enough money to spend on an 8th and 9th inning guy and maybe a swing guy

maybe this is the off-season we get our feet wet in thr trade market

i agree with bullpen . but i think we pass on Robertson and Yates and pursue Scott and Estevez and maybe either Yimi Garcia and/or AJ Minter to handle the 7th through 9th. would like a LH long reliever like Ryan Yarbrough to pair with Gray.

when i said the starting pitching might be a little weak to start i was looking at a starting rotation of deGrom, Mahle, Bradford, Rocker & Leiter and allowing that Rocker & Leiter might need a while to relax and fit in.

Trade wise other than trading away good or better prospects we don't have much else that other teams might be interested in except Smith or Duran. Heim, Lowe, Tavares, Dunning, White, Winn, etc aren't going to be hot items on the trade market

 

[saddles]

I think CY will sign Eovaldi, which will put us in a budget crunch.

We will try to get lucky on 8th and 9th inning guys, maybe even Yates and Robertson again, but the rest of the bullpen will be put together with spit and chewing gum. It is the JD way that has been slightly tweaked by CY.

They will trust improved health from Carter and Jung, and turnaround seasons from Heim, Semien and Garcia to make a huge difference, offensively. I expect one or both of Jankowski and Grossman to be back.

I want them to take a completely different approach, but I know they will not see it anywhere close to the same as I do.