Chris Woodward: Rougned Odor Not 'Definitively' On Rangers Opening Day Roster
Just when we thought the Texas Rangers Opening Day roster was down to roughly one final spot, manager Chris Woodward gave everyone a great cliffhanger as the team breaks camp and heads back to Arlington on Sunday night.
In his postgame Zoom call with the media after the Rangers' 12-8 win over the Cubs, Woodward was asked if Rougned Odor was definitively on the Opening Day roster.
Here is his entire response:
"We haven't made our final roster. So, I can't definitively say that. I will say he's done a lot of really good things. He's played really well at third base. He's done a lot of things on the offensive side, from a buy-in standpoint. So, I can't definitively say — just because they're on the roster doesn't mean they're necessarily on the Opening Day roster, so I can't say that right now."
For a guy like Rougned Odor who has two years and a club option left on his contract, and enough service time to refuse an outright assignment to the minor leagues, that's a significant quote from the Rangers skipper.
It's especially significant when you consider two things:
1) The Rangers owe Odor more than $27 million. Odor can elect free agency if removed from the 26-man roster, which means the Rangers would have to eat all of that money. That would be an unprecedented move.
2) Woodward has spent the past few days telling the media which players have been selected for the Opening Day roster, including non-roster invitee Brock Holt — a player in direct competition with Odor for playing time at third base.
It is no secret, however, that Odor is no longer in the same standing with the club that he has been in previous years. Long gone are the days where he is revered for clutch postseason hits and socking José Bautista in the jaw.
Odor has failed to live up to a six-year contract he signed over four years ago. He lost his everyday spot in the lineup near the tail end of the 2020 season as the Rangers shifted towards their youth. They re-emphasized that when they told Odor to come into camp ready to play third base or other positions, despite spending his entire big league career as a second baseman.
It's important to not forget the positive from what Woodward said. Odor has shown very well defensively at third base, considering he's never played there before. He has also shown signs of growth in his approach at the plate, even if his results weren't there. The Rangers said at the beginning of camp that Cactus League stats would not be the sole basis for roster decisions.
However, it's more than noteworthy that Woodward won't come out and say Odor is on the Opening Day roster, no questions asked. There's no indication of any injury, and Odor's .200 batting average (7-for-35) this spring shouldn't be completely ignored.
Is there a trade in the works? Are the Rangers possibly working on something else that will drastically change things before Thursday morning's deadline to finalize their 26-man roster?
Whatever happens, the next few days in Arlington should be very interesting.
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Chris Halicke covers the Texas Rangers for InsideTheRangers.com. Follow him on Twitter @ChrisHalicke.
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