How The Rangers' Plans For Roster Additions Have 'Evolved' Over The Lockout
The Texas Rangers dropped over half a billion dollars on free agents prior to the 99-day lockout—and they're not done adding to the roster.
Addressing the media for the first time since the owners unanimously ratified a new collective bargaining agreement with the players, Rangers general manager Chris Young confirmed the club's plans for how they'll finalize their roster for the 2022 season.
"As we assessed the roster and the needs, probably the two biggest (areas) we'd like to address is starting pitching and potentially an outfielder, maybe a corner outfielder," Young said. "We're just evaluating the market right now and having preliminary conversations and seeing where those lead."
The first move only took a couple hours after Young was done speaking with the media as the Rangers agreed to a one-year, $4 million contract with Martín Pérez, who pitched for Texas from 2012-2018.
The next two names that come to mind regarding these positions are Clayton Kershaw and Japanese free agent Seiya Suzuki.
Kershaw, a Dallas native, has been tied to the Rangers throughout the offseason. Prior to the lockout, Rangers manager Chris Woodward publicly said the club would welcome him if he wanted to play in Arlington. The two biggest obstacles: Will he want to continue his legacy as a Los Angeles Dodger or possibly retire? And, perhaps most importantly, how healthy is that arm?
When healthy, Kershaw was an effective pitcher in 2021, posting a 3.55 ERA and 1.02 WHIP in 22 starts. If everything checks out with his arm, Kershaw would also check two vital boxes the Rangers are looking for in a starting pitcher: on-field production and veteran leadership.
"Anybody we bring in, the expectation is they're gonna be the right person," Young said. "They're gonna be a leader. They're gonna fit our culture. But we're also looking for good pitchers as well that can perform on the field. That's deeply important."
Prior to the lockout, Suzuki was posted by the Hiroshima Carp of Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan, giving him the ability to negotiate a Major League contract with any club. The Rangers are known to have interest in the 27-year-old slugger, and he might be the most cost-effective starting outfielder on the free agent market.
There are a number of outfield options remaining on the market, including Kris Bryant, Kyle Schwarber, Nick Castellanos, Michael Conforto and Andrew McCutchen. If Suzuki lands elsewhere, and there are several serious suitors for him, the Rangers still have other ways to add another outfielder to the roster.
The past 99 days have given Rangers leadership some time to reflect on the moves made prior to the lockout and how to game plan for the acquisitions that are soon to come. While president of baseball operations Jon Daniels said ownership is still committed to providing the necessary resources to improve the club, there probably won't be any Seager- or Semien-type mega-deals.
"It's an ongoing discussion internally, just as far as what our options were," Daniels said. "I think (our plan) evolved over the winter. With the four additions beforehand, we probably did most of our heavy lifting at that point. We still have some areas of the roster we want to upgrade. What those ultimately look like will depend on what the market is and the acquisition cost, obviously."
Currently, the Rangers have roughly $132 million committed to the 2022 payroll, which is significantly under the new competitive balance tax threshold of $230 million. However, both Young and Daniels reiterated the same sentiment made in December—that all moves made now are done with an eye on the future.
"It's really specific to what the opportunities are that we recommend," Daniels said. "We've got ample resources on paper in this year's budget, but we're also looking at this as a multi-year progression to continue to build the team. That's how we're presenting it to (ownership) too. It's not just this year's free agent class or trade opportunities. It's what's likely to come available over the next three or four cycles."
While most are not expecting the Rangers to realistically compete for a spot in the postseason in 2022, even with the playoffs expanding to 12 teams, the front office is not setting any limitations on their club.
"Certainly, we're not a complete roster yet," Young said. "I don't feel like we're a championship team yet. There's still needs there. However, jumping from 60 wins to 100 wins is probably unrealistic. But with what the playoffs look like, we're not ruling anything out."
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