Report: Rangers not interested in Josh Johnson trade

The Rangers think the asking price for a Josh Johnson trade is too high. (Sarah Glenn/Getty Images)

Even after getting beat by the Los Angeles Angels in the Zack Greinke trade sweepstakes, the Texas Rangers are not looking to fill their starting-pitching hole by trading for Miami Marlins' hurler Josh Johnson.

MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan reported that the Rangers are unwilling to give up a big package of minor leaguers for Johnson because they are concerned about his health and his home vs. road splits.

The Rangers are in need of a starter after losing Colby Lewis for the season and with Roy Oswalt battling back issues. But the Rangers are worried about Johnson's injury-prone nature, as he has started at least 30 games in just one of eight seasons in the major leagues. And they are worried that Johnson is a product of Marlins Park — he is 5-4 with a 3.35 ERA at home, compared with just 1-3 and a 5.48 ERA on the road.

And the Marlins are reportedly asking for interested teams' top two or three prospects in exchange for Johnson. The risks, combined with the price, are turning the Rangers away. The Toronto Blue Jays, Baltimore Orioles, Los Angeles Angels, Atlanta Braves and Boston Red Sox are also interested in acquiring Johnson.

SI.com's Joe Lemire wrote Friday that a reactionary move like acquiring Johnson would be out of character for the Rangers front office:

It may have appeared that the Rangers' signing of Yu Darvish, which followed the Angels' additions of Wilson and first baseman Albert Pujols by a month, was an answer to Los Angeles' moves, but Darvish was carefully scouted by Texas over years, meaning the two events were hardly connected. Perhaps such planning will change now -- after all, that division is quickly growing into the wild, wild West.