Who might be next for Rangers after missing on Ohtani?

As of Thursday afternoon, a baseball source said that he wasn’t sure how much thought the Texas Rangers had given to Plan B in their off-season blueprints.

Plan A, of course, was Shohei Ohtani.

Twenty-four hours later, though, that changed in earnest.

Ohtani will not be rounding out the Rangers’ starting rotation, instead opting to sign with the Los Angeles Angels. That decision has the Rangers zeroing in on other targets and seeing just how far they can stretch their budget ahead of the annual winter meetings.

The Rangers will convene in Orlando, Fla., on Sunday for four days worth of phone calls, text messages, agent meetings, room service and little sleep as they attempt to pick themselves up off the mat Ohtani knocked them to and assemble a contender for 2018.

One thing hasn’t changed: The priority remains pitching.

With the prize of the free-agent market gone to Anaheim, here are some potential targets for the Rangers:

1. Alex Cobb, RHP: The former Tampa Bay Rays starter put together a nice season in his comeback from Tommy John surgery. He quietly was building toward a big free-agent payday before his elbow went in 2015 and caused him to miss most of 2016.

He is still going to get paid, though he isn’t going to break any team’s bank. He throws something called “The Thing,” a split-fingered change-up, but he also throws a sinker and curveball.

He looked more like his pre-TJ self in the second half of last season.

2. Lance Lynn, RHP: More good news: Lynn, too, has already gotten Tommy John surgery out of the way. He didn’t pitch in 2016 but pulled a full load in 2017 for the St. Louis Cardinals.

He’s never shied away from innings, which is to be commended. He’s also never pitched in the American League, which could raise some red flags with the Rangers as they consider a former National Leaguer taking on an extra hitter. Combined with his high fly ball rate, that might not be a good combination.

3. Yu Darvish, RHP: The expectation is that Darvish’s next contract with push him out of financial reach for the Rangers. That was before their top target signed with the Angels, a team that has often struggled against Darvish.

Are there other issues beyond money that would prevent a Darvish-Rangers reunion? Did he leave the team on good terms? Did he say anything disparaging after getting shipped to the Dodgers?

The fact is that Darvish is a quality pitcher — the World Series and that Marlins start notwithstanding — and would make the Rangers better. It’s at least worth a check-in from Daniels.

4. Jake Arrieta, RHP: Another starter whose potential price tag could turn off the Rangers, the former TCU star would fit at the top of the rotation in a division filled with top-flight starters (Justin Verlander, Dallas Keuchel, Felix Hernandez, Ohtani).

The Rangers need to play on this end of the market. Arrieta throws a sinker and gets his swings and misses with a curveball and slider. He’s durable and wants the ball. He wants to get paid, too.

5. Chris Archer, RHP: He’s the ace in Tampa Bay and under an extremely club-friendly contract that will make him difficult to pry away. But he’s someone the Rangers, and just about everyone else, have wanted for years as a durable power pitcher.

The Rangers are bullish on their farm system, though most of the talent is at the lower levels. The Rays’ finances are always perilous, and though Archer’s contract isn’t outrageous, a deal could probably be found.

6. Gerrit Cole, RHP: One person in the Rangers organization is particularly familiar with Cole. Manager Jeff Banister was the Pittsburgh Pirates’ bench coach just as Cole was about to blossom into a star.

Cole is coming off his worst season in the majors, but he’s under club control for two more seasons. He gave up a career-high 31 homers in the year of the homer, but was durable enough to top 200 innings.

7. Steve Cishek, RHP: He has experience as a closer and setup reliever, and he’s been very good with a quirky delivery and arm angle. Cishek typically doesn’t surrender many home runs and is around the plate despite all of his moving parts. He would be a candidate to close for the Rangers.

8. Tommy Hunter, RHP: A reunion could be in order for a reliever who started three games for the Rangers in the 2010 postseason before being dealt to Baltimore in 2011. He’s now one of the hardest-throwing relievers in the game and would be an upgrade in a bullpen that was in tatters last season.

9. Wade Davis, RHP: Here’s an absolute pipe dream. Davis is the top closer on the market, along with Greg Holland, and will command the kind of money the Rangers are looking to give a starter. Jon Daniels won’t go there, but Davis would be the cure to a problem the Rangers have had at some point in each of the past four seasons.

10. Jake McGee, LHP: The Rangers already have two bullpen lefties (Alex Claudio, Jake Diekman), but McGee is typically better against right-handed hitters (.208) than lefties (.239). He’s also coming off two seasons in Colorado, so improvement is guaranteed.

This story was originally published December 8, 2017 at 3:48 PM with the headline "Who might be next for Rangers after missing on Ohtani?."