Daniels continues to seek relief help for Rangers before spring training

The one week of the off-season when the majority of the Texas Rangers are in town has arrived — Fan Fest week — and the Rangers still have intentions on adding to the roster this off-season.

General manager Jon Daniels said on Friday that the club remains active in trade talks and in scanning the free-agent market, though nothing is imminent as the Rangers wait for the dam to break.

The top free agents remain out of the Rangers’ current financial reach, but Daniels expects to add rotation depth and to the bullpen before spring training begins Feb. 14. He said that could include a starter on a major-league deal.

Lower-tier pitchers have started to feel a sense of urgency to get a deal done, and the reliever market might be about to heat up again after Addison Reed signed a two-year deal last week with the Minnesota Twins.

“I can’t really handicap what level of additions we’ll have,” Daniels said. But I would expect that we will have additions.”

He didn’t dismiss the addition of position players, as he has said all off-season that a defensive-minded center fielder is on the radar, but he said that there was no truth to the rumors that the Rangers were seriously involved on free agent Lorenzo Cain.

“Zero,” Daniels said.

The most likely rotation additions are likely to come on minor-league deals, and it seems the Rangers are more likely to give a 40-man roster spot to a reliever. Former Pittsburgh left-hander Tony Watson remains available, along with right-handers Sergio Romo and Matt Albers.

Watson and Romo have experience at closer and will came at lower price that Greg Holland, the top remaining reliever. The Rangers, who are still considering moving Matt Bush to the rotation, are definitely looking.

“There’s nothing that’s really close,” Daniels said.

A large group of young players are partaking in the annual winter mini-camp and could be joined by veterans living locally. Elvis Andrus, Shin-Soo Choo and Rougned Odor participated in last year’s camp.

The Dr Pepper Rangers Awards Dinner is scheduled for Friday night at Gilley’s Dallas, where Andrus will be receive the Player of the Year Award and Adrian Beltre will receive the Harold McKinney Good Guy Award, and Fan Fast is scheduled for Saturday at Globe Life Park.

This story was originally published January 15, 2018 at 7:26 PM with the headline "Daniels continues to seek relief help for Rangers before spring training."