LA Angels land Anthony Rendon. Fan backlash coming after this Texas Rangers miss
The Texas Rangers have met only once these winter meetings with agent Scott Boras, and it wasn’t Wednesday.
The Los Angeles Angels commanded Boras’ attention, and they landed the player the Rangers were believed to have had at the top of their off-season wish list.
A quiet day on the Anthony Rendon front got much noisier at dinnertime, when the Angels pushed past the Rangers with a richer deal for the third baseman. The Angels and Rendon agreed to a seven-year, $245 million contract.
The Angels missed late Tuesday on right-hander Gerrit Cole, who had been their top target. They quickly pivoted to Rendon, and Angels ownership headed to the Manchester Grand Hyatt to close the deal.
The Rangers reportedly made a six-year offer with an option for a seventh.
The miss on Rendon comes despite the the Rangers boasting of a bigger budget from which to spend. Daniels has said as much multiple times this season, in so doing raising expectations that a free-agent splash is coming.
His words could be setting the Rangers up for a mighty fall in the eyes of some fans should Rendon and Josh Donaldson, the next free-agent third baseman up, both take a hard pass at what the Rangers have to offer.
Daniels understands that, but he’s never been a big believer in winning the off-season.
“Ultimately, I think we’re going to be judged by how we play next year and going forward,” Daniels said. “Certainly, adding a great player will contribute to that.
“I’m not going to ask anybody how to feel or what to look forward to. From our standpoint, we’re trying to put together the best team we can.”
Rendon was Plan A. A source said earlier in the day that the Rangers and Boras continued to negotiate.
Multiple teams are now in the hunt with the Rangers for Donaldson, who is expected to come on a shorter, more affordable contract. Among those linked to Donaldson are the Washington Nationals, Rendon’s old team, and the Atlanta Braves, Donaldson’s team in 2019.
Daniels knows things might not go the Rangers’ way there, too, and how that might not sit well in the fan base.
“I’m not trying to be blind to it,” Daniels said. “It does factor in on some level, but it can’t be the driving force. I want to make good decisions first and foremost.”
The Rangers are considering multiple scenarios to improve the team besides adding a third baseman. Daniels said they are looking at catchers and first basemen, and a starting pitcher could be added but isn’t a necessity.
Adding a third baseman via trade is the other path besides free agency, where the market thins considerably after Rendon and Donaldson. The newest name on the trade market is Nolan Arenado of the Colorado Rockies, who in spring training signed an eight-year, $260 million deal.
The Rangers could try to shake Miguel Andujar loose from the New York Yankees. The cost to acquire Chicago Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant might be too high.
There are ways to make the team better at third base besides Rendon and Donaldson, even if the result is a ripple instead of splash. Lance Lynn was ripple last year at the winter meetings, but turned into a splash.
“I think it’s dangerous to draw conclusions,” Daniels said. “Everybody’s going to. That’s the world we live in, and, honestly, that’s the fun of being a sports fan.”
But it’s not fun when a fan’s favorite team doesn’t get the big-name player.
That’s what happened Wednesday with Rendon and could happen with Donaldson.
This story was originally published December 11, 2019 at 8:57 PM.
