Winter Meetings Free Agent Tracker: Corner Infield
Greetings from the Winter Meetings!
The corner infield spots were some of the weakest positions on the Rangers' roster in 2019. The Rangers at least have capable players on the roster for first base, but currently have no one to man the hot corner across the diamond.
The list below includes notable free agents the Rangers could pursue. We will update this list every Monday so you can keep track of what players the Rangers have either already signed or are still available.
If the Rangers sign a player who rejected a qualifying offer, they will forfeit their second-highest draft pick in the 2020 MLB Amateur Player Draft, as well as $500,000 from their international bonus pool. If they sign two of those players, they will also forfeit their third-highest pick and an additional $500,000 from their international bonus pool.
First Base
Jose Abreu - signed 3-year, $50 million contract extension with White Sox
Edwin Encarnacion - free agent
Eric Thames - free agent
Mitch Moreland - free agent
Matt Adams - free agent
Justin Smoak - free agent
Neil Walker - free agent
Ryan Zimmerman - free agent
Greg Bird - free agent
Logan Morrison - free agent
Ryon Healy - free agent
Justin Bour - free agent
Mark Reynolds - free agent
Steve Pearce - free agent
Lucas Duda - free agent
Yonder Alonso - free agent
Hanley Ramirez - free agent
Kendrys Morales - free agent
Third Base
Anthony Rendon - free agent (rejected qualifying offer)
Josh Donaldson - free agent (rejected qualifying offer)
Mike Moustakas - signed a 4-year, $64 million contract with Reds
Todd Frazier - free agent
Asdrubal Cabrera - free agent
Kaleb Cowart - free agent
Ryan Flaherty - free agent
Jedd Gyorko - free agent
News & Rumors
Obviously, the Winter Meeting are becoming the "Anthony Rendon Watch" for Rangers fans. He's Texas' top priority and fills the largest hole on the roster.
According to Ken Rosenthal, Rendon and his agent Scott Boras are seeking a seven-year deal for the 29-year-old Houston native. It's not been determined if Texas is willing to commit to that length in a contract offer, but if they truly want to bring Rendon to Arlington, it looks like they have to be willing to do so.
The Rangers are still currently in on Josh Donaldson, who may or may not be waiting for Rendon to sign to see what exactly he could get in a contract offer. Teams that miss on Rendon that need a third baseman may be willing to overpay for Donaldson. Maybe they up the average-annual value (AAV) or add a potential fourth year in their contract offer.
T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com reported earlier this winter that the Rangers are "definitely intrigued by the possibility" of trading for Yankees' third baseman Miguel Andujar.
Andujar, 24, missed almost all of the 2019 season with a torn labrum in his right shoulder. He was the A.L. Rookie of the Year runner-up in 2018, slashing .297/.328/.527 with 27 homers and 92 RBI's. He'll turn 25 before the start of the 2020 season.
While he was a high-caliber offensive player in 2018 (4.6 offensive bWAR), he was a very bad defender at the hot corner (-2.2 defensive bWAR). He's still young, and if healthy, has a ton of upside.
The Rangers surely will try to sign Rendon or Donaldson first, but if they miss on both, they may call New York quickly with a trade offer for Andujar.
Follow our Rangers insider Chris Halicke on Twitter (@ChrisHalicke) to keep up with all news and rumors from the Winter Meetings.
Follow SI Rangers Maven on Twitter: @RangersMavenSI
