Rumors are linking Rangers and Encarnacion. Here’s why Texas could pass

The initial beat-writers session of the winter meetings with general manager Jon Daniels on Sunday produced word that the Texas Rangers are likely to fill their void at first base with internal options, presumably Ryan Rua, Jurickson Profar and Joey Gallo.

All the while, the market for Edwin Encarnacion, one of the game’s top sluggers the past five seasons, is disappearing, though he’s still not going to come on the cheap and would cost the Rangers their first-round draft pick. Yet, the rumor mill continues to link the Rangers to the slugger.

Encarnacion is considered by many, including Daniels, to be a good fit with the Rangers. Daniels said that the club’s production at first base the past few seasons with Mitch Moreland has been middle of the pack. His defense, which was rewarded with a Gold Glove this year, helped push his value higher.

The Rangers are bullish on Rua and still big believers in Profar. Maybe the share the job while Gallo opens at Triple A Round Rock and potentially becomes the regular first baseman if he excels in the Pacific Coast League.

But Rua and Profar don’t won’t provide the same pop as Moreland, and neither plays the positions as well as the free agent.

The athletic Gallo has a chance to cover more area than Moreland. Both have strong arms. Gallo, though, has been playing third base almost his entire professional career. It could take some time until he approaches Moreland’s level defensively.

Of course, Gallo could hit 40 homers. He could strike out 200 times. Sounds like Chris Davis, who the Rangers had as their first baseman of the future until Moreland came along.

So here’s a look at five reasons the Rangers could pass on Encarnacion:

▪ The Rangers don’t want to block Gallo’s path to the majors. They need to find out about him, and soon.

▪ The club doesn’t want to give up on him as it did Davis and miss out on all that power. Who is the only player in the majors the past five seasons with more homers than Encarnacion? Davis.

▪ So, Encarnacion has that kind of power, maybe a tad bit less, at 34. With a bunch of 30-somethings already on the roster, the Rangers wouldn’t be getting any younger.

▪ The qualifying offer, in its last hurrah, continues to be a factor in the Rangers’ thinking. Not to keep kicking this horse, but the Rangers have lost a lot the past two years in trades, and surrendering a first-round pick would put a dent in the farm system.

▪ Encarnacion passed on Toronto’s offer of four years and $80 million. He’s not going to come off that too terribly much, unless he falls into the same territory as Ian Desmond last year. That seems unlikely with all that power, plus the Rangers are committing their funds to pitching and center field first.

This story was originally published December 5, 2016 at 11:58 AM with the headline "Rumors are linking Rangers and Encarnacion. Here’s why Texas could pass."