Texas Rangers Must Decide Futures of Two Players Out of Options
It's that time of spring again when Opening Day is rapidly approaching and the teams across MLB must make decisions as the roster crunch looms. The Texas Rangers are no different.
This year, the Rangers have two players who out of minor league options. An "option" is really an "option year." Therefore, players can be sent back-and-forth to the minor leagues for three different seasons for a maximum of five times a year, per the new CBA.
Anything after that the player will be subjected to facing waivers where another team can claim them. It can be a dangerous proposition for a team who needs space on the 26-man roster, but doesn't want to lose the talent to another baseball team.
Texas has two players in Leody Taveras and Josh Sborz who have no minor league options available. Therefore, they either have to make the 26-man roster, and remain there, or be subjected to waivers.
For Taveras, he doesn't appear to be going anywhere. The outfielder is dealing with a low-grade oblique strain that will likely keep him from missing Opening Day. It'll help a player like Bubba Thompson make the roster out of camp, but once Taveras is healthy expect him to be the starting center fielder.
No surprises here.
Sborz on the other hand is a different story. The Rangers likely have one roster spot left for the taking in the bullpen and it'll be a last-minute decision between Sborz and John King.
Working in Sborz's favor is not having any options left and King does. However, Sborz did pitch to a 6.45 ERA last year which is hard to ignore.
That being said, Texas manager Bruce Bochy likes what he has been seeing from Sborz this spring, but that support comes with caveats.
"You have to like his arm. It's a big arm," Bochy said. "He has a plus-fastball and a plus-breaking ball. I mean it's nasty and he just has tremendous stuff. I saw a little bit of him back in 2019 when he was with the [Los Angeles] Dodgers and you just say, 'Well there's another great arm they brought up.' Seeing him firsthand, it's just great stuff. I know he had to deal with some things last year so the key for him is to stay healthy.
"What hasn't happened is the consistency that he needs in the strike zone. You start with health, but if that's fine then its all about pounding the strike zone with all of your pitches. There's no question about whether he has the arsenal or not. It's easy to see he has the stuff to pitch late in the ball game. That's how good it is."
We have seen the stuff from Sborz, just like Bochy has. That's the reason he has been able to compile 101 strikeouts in 81 1/3 innings with the Rangers. And, as Bochy alluded to, that is the type of makeup a late-inning and high-leverage guy possesses.
At the end of the day, Sborz likely has the edge over King due to his plus-pitches and the lack of options. Texas won't want to lose Sborz without seeing him in action during the regular season.
However, he may be on a tight rope to start the 2023 MLB season.
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