Texas Rangers 2024-2025 Offseason Thread

[saddles]

From Newberg:

Farm stuff.​

• Baseball America ranked SS Max Acosta as the No. 21 prospect in the just-completed Arizona Fall League season. The 22-year-old hit .338/.413/.521 (.934 OPS) for Surprise and then landed one of three 40-man roster spots Texas gave to potentially draft-eligible prospects. Cardinals 2B Thomas Saggese earned BA’s No. 20 nod.
• Boomer Prinstein (Baseball Prospectus) submitted his own rankings, tabbing Rangers prospects as follows:
  • 19. RHP Marc Church (“has a chance to be one of the best relievers in baseball”)
  • 20. RHP Leandro Lopez (“very unproven but he flashed three-to-four plus offerings with command this fall to put MLB on notice that he can be an above-average starter in the bigs very soon”)
  • 32. Acosta (“hits the ball hard and should play good defense, with a game like the man he might eventually replace, in Marcus Semien”)
  • 33. 3B Cody Freeman (“doubles machine with a similar package to Acosta, he might be a rare Rule 5 hitter who could stick”)
  • 36. OF Alejandro Osuna (“Gerardo Parra with good defense and solid hitting ability from the left box, always hustling”)
• In a separate story, Prinstein filed more thorough scouting reports on the aforementioned players:
  • Church “[r]ival[ed] Luis Mey as the best reliever in the AFL . . . I have no doubt he’ll break camp with the big club in the spring as long as he’s healthy, and he has the upside to be a dominant bullpen arm as soon as next year. . . . His delivery is super easy and athletic, with shades of Devin Williams, and he had the scouts around me craving more innings.”
  • Lopez “has all the makings of at least a mid-rotation starter. I liked him in the first outing I saw and then I loved him in the second, as he got swings and misses everywhere in the zone, with plus strike-throwing ability and plus command. He works primarily three pitches (fastball, curve, and slider) and also mixes in a rare cutter with late break and a workable change-up for good measure. His fastball was 94-96 with natural carry and natural sink, and it plays better than the velo shows with easy life, looking like it picks up speed as it approaches the plate. The curveball had good late and tight drop of the 12-6 variety, freezing batters as he dropped it into the zone with regularity. His slider was 84-86 mph and had a disappearing late finish, getting a lot of swings and misses; he went to it ahead in the count to righties and lefties alike. . . . [H]e’s definitely got a chance to be a solid no. 3 starter or even a no. 2, with three to four 60-grade pitches and a future average change-up with plus command, control and deception. The floor is high for this amazing find by the Rangers’ international scouting department.”
  • Acosta “looked like a straight-up Marcus Semien clone with a twitchy, compact swing that should produce a solid average with some pop. . . . He plays with a chip on his shoulder and runs hard and is wired to take an extra base. He may profile more as a 2B but in a short look I see some solid everyday upside there.”
  • Freeman “looks like he can provide more than just organizational value, although I don’t know if he’ll be more than a backup. But I did like the compact, twitchy swing and he had a lot of good ABs that should track well.”
  • Osuna “looks like another steal for the Rangers international scouting . . . the speedy left-handed hitting OF may be the most aggressive player I’ve seen this Fall. He has no fear at the plate, in the field, or on the bases. . . . Buoyed by plus speed and natural first-step quickness he can play all over the outfield. The arm is a bit short, maybe fringy at best, but he has really clean routes and he’s really aggressive to the ball. Offensively, the swing is compact, with an inside-out path and produces a lot of hard contact due to his aggressive nature. [H]e has surprising juice to his swing, especially for a small guy. I question how much real impact he’ll have at the big-league level but I have no doubt he’ll play above his tool set regardless. He’s not lacking in tools either, they’re just not super loud. He reminds me a lot of Gerardo Parra and I think it’s realistic that he’ll be a solid contributor, fourth OF type at his peak.”

 

[Duane1952]

Here is The Bleacher Report's projected Opening Day lineup for the Rangers.

Projected Starting Lineup

2B Marcus Semien
SS Corey Seager
1B Nathaniel Lowe
RF Adolis Garcia
3B Josh Jung
DH Josh Smith
LF Wyatt Langford
C Jonah Heim
CF Evan Carter
SP Jacob deGrom

So basically one change. Don’t see how the offense is going to be any better. Heim should be gone. Don’t think Lowe is worth the 10 million he’s going to get.

 

[DT LUNA]

So basically one change. Don’t see how the offense is going to be any better. Heim should be gone. Don’t think Lowe is worth the 10 million he’s going to get.

Me either.

 

[saddles]

I still think the Rangers will trade Leody Taveras.

 

[saddles]

Frankie Montas signs with the Mets. 2 years/$34 million

 

[saddles]

That makes 3 Boras pitchers who have signed early. I guess Montgomery ditching him, taught him a lesson.

 

[saddles]

Within about 11 days from now we will learn several things. We will know if the front office is looking to improve the team or run out close to the same thing we had last year. We will find out which draft slot we will have. I am not optimistic about that. We will also find out how many players we lost in the Rule 5 draft. I think that could be 2 or 3.

A lot of players are signing early this year. I expect the winter meetings to be packed with lots of signings and trades. If the Rangers are still sitting on their hands 11 days from now, when those meetings come to an end, that will be very telling.

 

[DT LUNA]

I still think the Rangers will trade Leody Taveras.

Certainly hope so.

 

[saddles]

Baseball America has an article this morning listing the 7 most likely landing spots for Roki Sasaki. The Rangers come I'm third behind the Didgers and Padres. Here is what they said about the Rangers' chances.

3. Texas Rangers​

The Rangers are typically one of the most aggressive teams in Latin America. So while they have a handful of players lined up for 2025, it sticks out that they appear to have a significant amount of uncommitted space still available in their $6,261,600 pool for 2025, with no player projected to sign for a top 30 overall bonus in the class. Like other teams, they might have to trade for more pool space to maximize their offer for Sasaki, but they might not necessarily have to throw away commitments to other players to get him.

The Rangers have history with Japanese players going back to when they signed Yu Darvish, and they have done significant homework on Sasaki (though at this price, signing him is a no-brainer). In terms of how they’re positioned, the Rangers have a lot lined up for them, but they are the only team on this list that had a losing record in 2024. Still, this is a team that just won the World Series in 2023. They will get back Jacob deGrom and add a surging Kumar Rocker to their rotation. In the outfield, they can point to another year of growth from 23-year-old Wyatt Langford and better health from 22-year-old Evan Carter. Putting Sasaki in their rotation would go a long way to getting the Rangers back to the playoffs in 2025.

 

[scotsman#1948]

So basically one change. Don’t see how the offense is going to be any better. Heim should be gone. Don’t think Lowe is worth the 10 million he’s going to get.

me too but i just can't think of any team that would trade for either right now

 

[saddles]

From Ken Rosenthal:

Several clubs looking for a left-handed hitting DH are intrigued by Joc Pederson, who in 449 plate appearances for the Arizona Diamondbacks last season hit 23 home runs and produced a career-high .908 OPS.

The Diamondbacks want Pederson back. The Tampa Bay Rays also could use him, though it’s doubtful any free agent with options will choose to play at a minor-league ballpark in the summer Florida heat. The Texas Rangers are a more intriguing fit.

In 2023, the year they won the World Series, the Rangers ranked third in OPS against right-handed pitching. Last season, they ranked 26th, and their .683 OPS represented more than a 100-point dropoff from the year before.

A native of Palo Alto, Calif, Pederson seemingly would prefer to stay west of the Mississippi. In previous stints as a free agent, he signed with the Chicago Cubs, the San Francisco Giants twice (once by accepting a qualifying offer) and the Diamondbacks.

---

The question with the Rangers is whether owner Ray Davis will gain enough clarity on the team’s future local TV revenues to approve an increase in payroll later in the offseason.

The Rangers, who are pursuing their own regional sports network, are in an uncertain position for the second straight offseason. Last winter, coming off their first World Series title, the only free agent they signed for more than one year was right-hander Tyler Mahle, who was coming off Tommy John surgery and expected to be out for most of 2024.

Re-signing Eovaldi is the Rangers’ top priority. The bullpen, with relievers Kirby Yates, David Robertson, José Leclerc and Andrew Chafin all hitting the open market, needs to be reconstructed. And, as mentioned above, Texas wants to add more offense.

 

[Kelleyman]

If they sign a DH, I can more see Leody getting moved. Between Josh Smith and Zeke maybe the 4th OF is covered
Now all this assumes Carter has zero health issues
Maybe Joc Pederson and a RHB specialist

 

[saddles]

The Rangers are said to be all in on closer, Tanner Scott.

 

[Duane1952]

I’m surprised that no tv deal has been made yet.

 

[saddles]

From Andy McCullough:

Texas Rangers (78-84)​

Tanner Scott, LHP

Texas believes the team can contend in 2025. Most of the lineup from the 2023 championship squad is still around. Jacob deGrom will enter the season at full strength. But while owner Ray Davis is not expected to authorize the huge expenditures the team required to assemble most of the roster, maybe there is enough room to add someone like Scott. He was the most valuable reliever in baseball these past two seasons, according to FanGraphs. When he throws strikes, he looks indomitable. He owned Shohei Ohtani during the postseason. He can close or he can put out fires. For a team looking to return to October, he makes a lot of sense.

 

[saddles]

I’m surprised that no tv deal has been made yet.

Me too. Unless they already know the basic value and they are still working out details, then someone has fumbled the ball in taking care of this.

 

[scotsman#1948]

If they sign a DH, I can more see Leody getting moved. Between Josh Smith and Zeke maybe the 4th OF is covered
Now all this assumes Carter has zero health issues
Maybe Joc Pederson and a RHB specialist

hate to say this but keeping both Smith and Duran is a bit redundant. i would keep Smith

 

[saddles]

I really get tired of everyone in the media assuming the Rangers cannot spend because, after Eovaldi, they won't have that much left to spend. If that is the case, do not sign Eovaldi. We have cheaper starting candidates who have had success over the last two years. If they want to sign someone on the cheap for depth, then that is fine. They do not have to spend $20 million or more on a starting pitcher.

 

[saddles]

hate to say this but keeping both Smith and Duran is a bit redundant. i would keep Smith

I would say the main difference is one has proven to be a good everyday player. The other is a fine, versatile bench player. Both of those kinds of players are needed aren't they?

 

[saddles]

They had better trade Leody before he loses what trade value he has.