Rangers focused on rotation help, center fielder at winter meetings

The countdown to the winter meetings is on, with the collective bargaining agreement hashed out for another five years and with the threat of a lockout and a cancellation of the meetings null.

So, the Texas Rangers are marching forward with their eyes still focused on the prize of a controllable upgrade to the starting rotation and a defensive-minded center fielder who can save pitchers runs.

While the free-agent market has quality center fielders, including Rangers free agents Ian Desmond and Carlos Gomez, a barren market for rotation help has the Rangers focused on acquiring an arm via a trade.

The have trade options for a center fielder, too, and trade pieces from a deep bullpen and their farm system.

“We’ve had a few conversations a little more advanced than others,” general manager Jon Daniels said Friday in a pre-meetings conference call with beat writers. “We’ve exchanged ideas and that sort of thing. I think when you’re close to a deal is when both sides are similarly excited about it.

“The last couple weeks the conversations picked up quick a bit and will continue into next week. There are enough interesting things for us to follow up on.”

The Rangers had some news ahead of the meetings. They decided to not tender outfielder Jared Hoying a contract for next season, taking him off the 40-man roster. But Daniels said that all arbitration-eligible players would be tendered contracts for 2017.

They also made a waiver claim on right-hander Brady Dragmire from Pittsburgh but left-hander David Rollins, claimed last week from Seattle, was claimed by Philadelphia.

The Rangers have their eyes on another lefty.

They talked with the Chicago White Sox ahead of the Aug. 1 trade deadline about Chris Sale, who aside from being an ace also comes with contractual control. However, a deal for the All-Star will cost the Rangers dearly in big-league players and prospects.

Daniels, though, said that the Rangers are determined to stick to the path that will get them a rotation upgrade, especially with right-hander Yu Darvish potentially headed to free agency after next season. The Rangers have already signed Andrew Cashner, a free agent, to a one-year deal for $10 million that could squeeze Colby Lewis out of their 2017 plans.

They could always call an audible and go heavy with offense, as they did last season after missing out on Sale and Tampa Bay’s trio of available arms for the playoff run. That strategy would free up money to keep Desmond or Gomez, though Gomez could have the edge because of his defensive prowess.

Manager Jeff Banister said that he wants the Rangers’ center fielder to be able to track down balls that otherwise would fall in, saving pitchers pitches, outs and runs. Desmond didn’t do that often enough last season, albeit his first as a center fielder.

There’s room for him to improve.

“I think we saw he got better throughout the year,” Banister said. “I think there’s still some room for improvement there, and there’s some upside with it.”

But two center fielders said to be available, Andrew McCutchen and Billy Hamilton, are already regarded as premium defenders. McCutchen just happens to be a former National League MVP with two affordable years coming, and Hamilton, one of the fastest players in the game, is coming off his best offensive season and is entering the first of three arbitration years.

Daniels, though, said that the Rangers don’t need to make headlines with a trade to get the kind of player they want.

“I feel like every acquisition has a chance to be an impact acquisition if we’re going our jobs right,” he said. “We’re focused on pitching, primarily starting pitching, and the outfield, primarily center field. Whether our acquisitions fit someone else’s definition of “impact” is less important than if they fit short and long term for us.”

This story was originally published December 2, 2016 at 3:49 PM with the headline "Rangers focused on rotation help, center fielder at winter meetings."