Rangers reach three-year deal with Lance Lynn. Will they continue to seek rotation help?
Just when the Texas Rangers’ pursuit of starting pitching ran into a road block Wednesday at the MLB winter meetings, they finally had a breakthrough.
Another could becoming as the off-season stretches on toward the holidays.
The Rangers are in agreement with right-hander Lance Lynn on a three-year deal worth $30 million, two sources said. General manager Jon Daniels did not comment on the deal, which is pending a physical.
The 31-year-old Lynn spent last season with the Minnesota Twins and the New York Yankees in his second year after Tommy John surgery. Lynn, who spent the first six seasons of his career with the St. Louis Cardinals, has proven to be durable, aside from the elbow injury that cost him the 2016 season.
He made 33 starts in his return season from Tommy John and 29 last season, and he is the innings-eater the Rangers were seeking for a rotation that has two pitchers returning from Tommy John.
While Daniels stayed mum on Lynn, he said that the Rangers might not be done pursuing free-agent starters.
“We’re still in the pursuit,” Daniels said. “We’ve probably spent more time overall discussing with teams some of the players on our club that they’re interested in and seeing what fits are there. We’ve looked to acquire pitching externally, as well. It’s been a balance of those two.
“We clearly need to add innings, quality and quantity. There’s different ways of building a staff out, but a clear priority has been and will continue to be building the pitching staff.”
Lynn would join a rotation that includes left-handers Mike Minor and Drew Smyly and right-hander Edinson Volquez. Smyly and Volquez didn’t pitch in 2018 as they recovered from Tommy John surgery.
Daniels said that the Rangers have financial maneuverability to continue adding arms. They were in the mix for two free agents, right-hander Charlie Morton and left-hander J.A. Happ, who agreed to multiyear contracts elsewhere earlier Wednesday and left the Rangers to cross two names off the list.
Happ agreed to return to the New York Yankees, and the final terms have not been reported. Morton is headed to the Tampa Bay Rays after agreeing to a two-year, $30 million contract.
The Rangers might have been a year short on Happ, but a source said that they went to two years on Morton. He considered the offer but prefers being on the East Coast and in Florida for spring training.
The Rangers also have interest in Japanese left-hander Yusei Kikuchi, who has until Jan. 2 to agree to a deal or head back to the Seibu Lions. It would take another multiyear contract to land him, but that does fit into the Rangers’ rebuild.
One reason they are considering long-term deals is to have pitchers in place as top-level prospects continue to develop and with Volquez and Smyly potentially hitting free agency after next season.
“It’s a long-term mind-set, but part of that, too, is not overexposing the young guys before they are ready,” Daniels said.
The Rangers have three prospects who finished last season at Double A Frisco who are expected to pitch in the majors this season – right-hander Jonathan Hernandez and left-handers Taylor Hearn and Joe Palumbo.
The best of the Rangers’ pitching prospects – righties Hans Crouse, Tyler Phillips and Cole Winn, and left-hander Cole Ragans -- are at High A or below.
“That upper-level group will get opportunity, but that lower-level group is going to take a couple years,” Daniels said. “The really higher-end upside group, the bigger-arm group, that is down there is going to take a couple years.”
This story was originally published December 12, 2018 at 6:13 PM.
